Centre extends lockdown by 2 more weeks till May 31; all air, metro travel prohibited

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New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday (May 17) announced an extension of lockdown till May 31 to curb the spread of the infectious coronavirus COVID-19 disease. Lockdown 4.0 will commence from Monday and will last till May 31, according to the MHA notification.

In an order issued, the MHA said that all domestic and international flights, educational institutions and hotels/clubs will continue to remain prohibited from functioning throughout the country. However, the government allowed the inter-state movement of vehicles and buses with mutual consent of states.

Following activities shall continue to remain prohibited throughout the country: 

(i)  All domestic, international air travel of passengers, except domestic air ambulance, remains prohibited till May 31. 

(ii) Metro rail services, schools, colleges to remain closed till May 31.

(iii) Schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc. will remain closed. Online/ distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.

(iv) Hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services, except those meant for housing health/ police/ Government officials/ healthcare workers/ stranded persons including tourists and for quarantine facilities; and running of canteens at bus depots, railway stations and airports. Restaurants shall be permitted to operate kitchens for home delivery of food items.

(v) All cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places. Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open; however, spectators will not be allowed.

(vi) All social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functions/ other gatherings and large congregations. vii. All religious places/ places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.

(vii) The third phase of lockdown will end on Sunday, i.e. on May 17. Lockdown 3.0 saw significant relaxations with restrictions lifting on standalone shops and liquor shops among others. 

(viii) All religious places/ places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.

3. Following activities shall be permitted with restrictions, except in the containment zones: 

(i) Inter-state movement of passenger vehicles, buses to be allowed with mutual consent of states involved during COVID-19 lockdown 4.0.

(ii) Inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses, as decided by states and UTs. 

(iii) Standard Operating Procedures for movement of persons, as mentioned in Annexure I, shall continue to operate.

4. National Directives for COVID-19 Management National Directives for COVID 19 Management, as specified in Annexure shall be followed throughout the country. 

5. Containment, Buffer, Red, Green and Orange Zones 

(i) The delineation of Red, Green and Orange Zones will be decided by the respective State and UT Governments, after taking into consideration the parameters shared by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (M0HFW), Government of India (Gol).

(ii) Within the Red and Orange Zones, Containment Zones and Buffer Zones will be demarcated by the District authorities, after taking into consideration the guidelines of MoHFW. 

(iii) In the Containment Zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining a supply of essential goods and services. Guidelines of MoHFW shall be taken into consideration for the above purpose. 

(iv) In the Containment Zones, there shall be intensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and other clinical interventions, as required. 

6. Night curfew

The movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 7.00 pm to 7.00 am, except for essential activities. Local authorities shall issue orders, in the entire area of their jurisdiction, under appropriate provisions of law, such as prohibitory orders [Curfew] under Section 144 of CrPC, and ensure strict compliance. 

7. Protection of vulnerable persons 

Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, shall stay at home, except for essential and health purposes. 

8. All other activities will be permitted, except those which are specifically prohibited. 

However, in Containment Zones, only essential activities shall be allowed, as mentioned in para 5(iii) above. Further, States/ UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, may prohibit certain other activities in the various zones, or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary. 

9. Use of Aarogya Setu 

(i) Aarogya Setu enables early identification of potential risk of infection, and thus acts as a shield for individuals and the community. (ii) With a view to ensuring safety in offices and work places, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones. 

(iii) District authorities may advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app. This will facilitate timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk. 

10. Special directions to ensure movement of persons and goods in certain cases

(i) All States/UTs shall allow inter-State and intra-State movement of medical professionals, nurses and paramedical staff, sanitation personnel and ambulances, without any restriction. 

(ii) All States/UTs shall allow inter-State movement of all types of goods/ cargo, including empty trucks.

(iii) No state/UT shall stop the movement of any type of goods/cargos for cross land-border trade under Treaties with neighbouring countries. 

Strict enforcement of guidelines

(i) State/UT governments shall not dilute these guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in any manner. 

(ii) All the District Magistrates shall strictly enforce the above measures. 

(iii) In order to implement these measures, the District Magistrate will deploy Executive Magistrates as Incident Commanders in the respective local jurisdiction. The Incident Commander will be responsible for the overall implementation of these measures in their respective jurisdictions. 

12. Penal provisions

Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable. Extracts of these penal provisions are at Annexure-III.