MHA extends nationwide lockdown for two more weeks: What's open and what's closed
The Centre has announced an extension for two more weeks in the nationwide lockdown. However, several relaxations will be allowed as per zones. Check what's will open and what will remain closed in your district.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday announced an extension of two weeks to the nationwide lockdown which was first declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24.
The Lockdown 3.0, however, will not be as restrictive as its previous versions. As per the MHA statement, the strictness of the extended lockdown will depend on the level of Covid-19 outbreak in the respective districts.
The Green Zones are the districts with either zero confirmed cases till date; or, no confirmed case in the last 21 days.
The Red Zones are classified on the basis of the total number of active cases, doubling rate of confirmed cases, the extent of testing and surveillance feedback from the districts.
Those districts, which are neither defined as Red nor Green, are classified as Orange zones.
What's closed in Lockdown 3.0
Apart from zone-wise restriction, there is a limited number of activities that will remain prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of zones
These include travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by the road.
Running of school, college, institutions, hospitality services, including hotels and restaurants, place of large gathering, such as cinema halls, malls, gym, sports complex, social, political, cultural and all kind of gathering, religious place/ place of worship for public will continue to remain banned during the lockdown.
Red Zones
A large number of other activities are allowed in the Red Zones.
- All industrial and construction activities in rural areas, including MNREGA works, food-processing units and brick-kilns are permitted; besides, in rural areas, without distinction to the nature of goods, all shops, except in shopping malls are permitted.
- All agriculture activities, e.g., sowing, harvesting, procurement and marketing operations in the agricultural supply chain are permitted.
- Animal husbandry activities are fully permitted, including inland and marine fisheries.
- All plantation activities are allowed, including their processing and marketing.
- All health services (including AYUSH) are to remain functional, including transport of medical personnel and patients through air ambulances.
- A large part of the financial sector remains open, which includes banks, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), insurance and capital market activities, and credit co-operative societies.
- Operation of homes for children, senior citizens, destitutes, women and widows etc.; and operation of Anganwadis has also been permitted.
Green Zones
- In the Green Zones, all activities are permitted except the limited number of activities that are prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zone. However, buses can operate with upto 50 per cent seating capacity and bus depots can operate with upto 50 per cent capacity.
All goods traffic is to be permitted. No State/ UT shall stop the movement of cargo for cross land-border trade under Treaties with neighbouring countries. No separate pass of any sort is needed for such movement, which is essential for maintaining the supply chain of goods and services across the country during the lockdown period.
Additionally, the Centre has also allowed e-commerce websites to deliver non-essential items in orange and green zones.
All other activities, which are not specifically prohibited, will be permitted activities.
However, states/ UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, and with the primary objective of keeping the spread of Covid-19 in check, may allow only select activities from out of the permitted activities, with such restrictions as felt necessary.
