The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown by further two weeks on May 17, 2020. Being termed as 'Lockdown 4.0', it will be in effect till May 31, 2020 in the whole of the country. The government has issued a comprehensive set of guidelines and SOPs that need to be followed by the states, UTs and citizens. Though, every state government has also issued separate advisories and guidelines, but they are more or less similar to the ones issued by the Union government, albeit with a few more relaxations to begin the economic activities.
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What remains banned?
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. In addition, metro rail services shall remain closed. Night Curfew shall continue to remain in force on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, between 7 pm and 7 am.
What's continued?
The mobile app-based taxi cabs such as Uber & Ola will remain functional with a maximum of three occupants including the driver while autos and rickshaws can ply only with one passenger. The automobile showrooms and dealerships have already opened up in almost every district of every state, except for the containment zones.
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What's new?
Contrary to the earlier order that gave power to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, to decide the various zones, this time States and Union Territories (UTs) will now delineate Red, Green and Orange zones taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Health Ministry. Various modes of transport have been opened up to facilitate the movement of persons. Though, movement of individuals by trains had already been permitted earlier by MHA through an order dated May 11, 2020. In an encouraging move, inter-state movement of vehicles and buses has also been allowed with mutual consent of the concerned States/ UTs. However, intra-state movement of vehicles and buses can be only decided by the States and UTs. For detailed information, you can refer to the set of comprehensive guidelines issued by your state government.
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