Ministry of Home Affairs Issues Revised Guidelines On Lockdown Extension

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA )issued fresh guidelines on Wednesday morning on the measures to be taken by various ministries of the Centre, as also state governments and Union Territories for containment of COVID-19 during the ongoing lockdown.

Take a look:

• The MHA guidelines state that all domestic and international air travel of passengers will continue to stand banned, except for security purposes. Similarly passenger movement by trains except for security purposes continues to remain suspended.

• Buses for public transport and Metro rail services will also remain suspended while inter District and interstate movement of individuals except for medical reasons or for activities permitted under the MHA guidelines will continue to remain on hold.

• Educational training and coaching institutions will remain closed.

• All industrial and commercial activities except those specifically allowed under the guidelines will also remain closed for now.

• Hospitality services other than those specifically permitted under the MHA guidelines will also remain shut.

• Taxis including auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and services of cab aggregators will stand suspended.

• Movie theatres, malls, shopping complexes, gyms, sports complexes, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and other such places will remain closed.

• The MHA guidelines also state that all social/political/sports/entertainment/academic cultural/religious functions and other gatherings will not be permitted.

• All religious places and places of worship shall be closed for the public, the guidelines clearly state adding that religious congregations are strictly prohibited.

• In the case of funerals, more than 20 persons will not be permitted as per the MHA guidelines.

Enforcement of guidelines in hotspots and containment zones

• The MHA guidelines specify that hotspots, where there are large outbreaks or clusters of COVID-19 will be determined as per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and in these hotspots, containment zones will be delineated by states, Union Territories and district officials as per the guidelines of the Centre.

• MHA guidelines further stated that activities allowed under these guidelines will not be permitted in the containment zones and that there shall be strict perimeter control in the area of the containment zones to ensure that there is no unchecked inward or outward movement of population from these zones except for maintaining essential services including medical emergencies and law and order related duties.

• The revised guidelines also ban spitting in public places.

• The guidelines spell out permitting MNREGA works with strict implementation of social distancing and use of face masks.

• Bank branches and ATMs, IT vendors for banking operations and cash management agencies will remain functional.

• All agricultural and horticultural activities will also remain functional.