Revised National Guidelines : Extension of Lockdown up to May 31, 2020
Ø
States
to decide various Zones and Activities to be allowed in these Zones; Certain
activities to remain prohibited throughout the Country
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National
Directives for COVID-19 Management continue to be in force throughout the
Country
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Night
Curfew to continue to remain in force
States to decide various Zones
Under the new guidelines, States and Union Territories
(UTs) will now delineate Red, Green and Orange zones taking into
consideration the parameters shared by the Health Ministry. The zones can be a
district, or a municipal corporation/ municipality or even smaller
administrative units such as sub-divisions, etc, as decided by States and UTs.
Within the red and orange zones, containment and buffer zones
will be demarcated by the local authorities, after taking into consideration
the Health Ministry guidelines.
Within the containment zones, only essential activities
shall be allowed. Strict perimeter control shall be maintained, and no
movement of persons would be allowed, except for medical emergencies and for
maintaining the supply of essential goods and services. Buffer zones are
areas adjoining each containment zone, where new cases are more likely to
appear. In the buffer zones, more caution needs to be exercised.
Activities Prohibited throughout the Country
A limited number of activities will continue to remain prohibited throughout
the country. These include
§
all
domestic and international air travel of passengers, except for domestic
medical services, domestic air ambulance and for security purposes or purposes
as permitted by MHA;
§
metro
rail services;
§
running
of schools, colleges, educational and training/coaching institutions;
§
hotels,
restaurants and other hospitality services, except for the running of canteens
in bus depots, railway stations and airports;
§
places
of large public gatherings such as cinemas, shopping malls, gymnasiums
entertainment parks, etc.;
§
social,
political, cultural and similar gatherings and other large congregations; and,
access to religious places/places of worship for the public.
However, online/distance learning shall be permitted and
encouraged; and, restaurants will be allowed to operate kitchens for home
delivery of food items.
Opening up of Sports Activities
Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open only
for sports activities. However, spectators will not be allowed in
these complexes.
Activities permitted with restrictions
In order to facilitate the movement of persons, various
modes of transport have already been opened up. Movement of individuals
by trains has been permitted earlier by MHA through an order dated
11.05.2020. Further, evacuation of foreign nationals from
Inter-State movement of vehicles and buses has also been allowed
with the mutual consent of the concerned States/ UTs. Intra-State movement of
vehicles and buses can be decided by the States and UTs.
National Directives for COVID-19 management
The guidelines specify the National Directives for COVID-19
management, which shall apply to public places and workplaces.
Under these guidelines, wearing of face covers is
compulsory; spitting will be punishable with fine as may be prescribed in
accordance with its laws, rules, or regulations by the State/ UT local
authority; and social distancing is to be followed by all persons in public
places and in transport. Marriage related gatherings shall not have more
than 50 guests. For funerals/ last rites, the maximum number of persons
allowed has been kept at 20. Consumption of liquor, paan, gutkha, and
tobacco, etc., is not allowed in public places.
The National Directives also stipulate additional
requirements for workplaces. The practice of work from home (WFH) should
be followed to the extent possible, and staggering of work hours should be
adopted in respect of all offices and other establishments. There should
be provision for thermal scanning, hand wash, and sanitizers at all entry and
exit points and common areas; and all workplaces and other sensitive locations
are to be sanitized regularly. In workplaces, social distancing would
also need to be ensured through the adequate distance between workers, adequate
gaps between shifts, staggering the lunch break of staff, and so on.
Stipulations regarding Shops and Markets
Local authorities should ensure that shops and markets open
with staggered timings, so as to ensure social distancing. All
shops shall also have to ensure six feet distance (2 gaz ki doori) among
customers and also not allow more than 5 persons at one time.
Night Curfew
Night Curfew shall continue to remain in force on the
movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, between 7 pm and 7
am.
Protection for Vulnerable Persons
Vulnerable persons, i.e., persons above 65 years of age, persons
with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years,
shall stay at home, except for meeting essential requirements and for health
purposes.
All activities to be Permitted other than the limited
number of those that are prohibited or restricted
All other activities will be permitted except those which
are specifically prohibited under these guidelines. However, in containment
zones, only essential activities shall be allowed, as mentioned earlier.
States to decide on activities within various Zones
States/ UTs, based on their assessment of the situation,
may prohibit certain other activities in the various zones, or impose such
restrictions as deemed necessary.
Use of Aarogya Setu
The Aarogya Setu mobile application is a powerful
tool built by the Government of India to facilitate quick identification of persons
infected by COVID-19, or at risk of being infected, thus acting as a shield for
individuals and the community. With a view to ensure safety in offices
and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that the
application is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones.
District authorities have been asked to advise individuals
to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones
and regularly update their health status on the app. This will facilitate
timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk. State/
UT Governments shall continue to strictly enforce the lockdown guidelines and
they shall not dilute these guidelines issued under the Disaster Management
Act, 2005, in any manner.
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