Sources from New delhi stated that at a time when it was least expected, the narendra modi government at the Centre on friday extended the ongoing nationwide coronavirus lockdown by two more weeks after May 4. As a result, the lockdown will be in effect till May 17th but with considerable relaxations in districts that are classified as green and orange zones.Meanwhile the decision followed a high-level meeting chaired by prime minister narendra modi at his residence earlier in the day. Furthermore the home ministry has issued a new set of guidelines to streamline various activities in this period, based on the risk potential of the districts in the country and classifying them into red (hotspot), green and orange zones. A note released by the MHA said that there would be considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones.
Perhaps as part of the latest guidelines, a few activities will remain prohibited across the country regardless of what zone the areas are in. In a bit of disappointment to those willing to resume commuting, travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road will remain prohibited. This apart, schools, colleges and other educational and training and coaching institutions, hospitality services that include hotels and restaurants, places of large public gatherings like cinema halls, malls, gyms and sports complexes will also stay shut and the government will also not permit social, political, cultural and other types of gatherings.
Apparently religious places and places of worship will also come under this restriction. However, movement of people by air, rail and road will be permitted for some select purposes and for reasons that the home ministry may permit. Meanwhile, all six metros delhi, mumbai, chennai, kolkata, hyderabad, bengaluru and ahmedabad have been declared red zones by the Centre on friday and the cities are likely to see no exemptions from the ministry's rules after the second phase of the lockdown ends on May 3. The ministry has also split 733 districts into red, orange and green zones based on the severity of COVID-19 infections in each of these areas.
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