Home Ministry extends nationwide lockdown in containment zones till June 30
The Centre on Saturday extended the nationwide lockdown in containment zones up to June 30. This will be the fifth consecutive extension of the nationwide lockdown and will come into effect once the current phase – Lockdown 4.0 – ends on May 31.
The fifth extension of the nationwide lockdown, interestingly, will only be in the containment zones, which are specific geographical areas where positive cases of coronavirus are found.
According to the guidelines of the health ministry, strict restrictions are put on movement in such areas to prevent further spread of the virus. The home ministry said that the containment zones will be demarcated by the district authorities.
The ministry has asked the states and Union Territories to identify buffer zones outside containment zones, where new cases are more likely to occur. It added that states and UTs may prohibit certain activities outside containment zones or impose restrictions if the need arises.
The home ministry, moreover, said reopening of prohibited activities in areas outside containment zones will be done in phased manner.
The ministry added that the decision on restarting international air travel, Metro trains, cinema halls, gym, political gatherings will taken only after assessing the situation.
While intra-city trains and international travels could be out of bounds for now, the ministry also said that there will be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of people and goods.
In some much needed respite for the common man, religious places, hotels, restaurants, hospitality services and shopping malls will be allowed to function from June 8, the ministry indicated.
Meanwhile, schools, colleges, educational, training, coaching institutions will be opened only after consultations with states and UTs. The home ministry has also revised the night curfew timing. As per the new timing, the movement of individuals will be prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am across India.
