New Delhi: With the third phase of the coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown coming to an end on Sunday (May 17), the fourth phase of lockdown is likely to be announced on Sunday, i.e. on May 18. 


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Lockdown 4.0 will commence from Monday and will last till May 31. In his address to the nation recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asserted that lockdown 4 will be very different in nature with new flavours and new rules. 


The third phase of lockdown saw considerable relaxation on standalone shops functional outside containment zones, liquor shops and several special Shramik trains being flagged-off to ferry migrants to their native places. 


In lockdown 4.0 guidelines, to be released by the government today, there might be considerable relaxation regarding transportation and running of industries. With the exception of containment zones, the central government might allow buses, cabs, and autos to ply on red, orange, or green zones, varying with each state or region in question.


There may also be an exemption to run factories or industries again, but authorities will have to make necessary arrangements for the state to carry workers and workers. Offices and workplaces might get approval to operate with more employee strength. Earlier, industries had requested the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to raise the cap of workforce participation to 50% from the current 33%.


Centre may also redefine 'red zones' across the entire country. However, this does not mean a complete relaxation of the pre-existing lockdown restrictions, norms and protocols necessitated by the COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic is still spreading like wildfire across India.


According to sources, 30 cities in 12 states, which contribute to over 80 per cent of coronavirus cases, will continue to face restrictions. These cities include Delhi, Surat, Howrah, Amritsar, Palghar, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur, Agra, Vadodara, Meerut among others.  


The most important aspect remains that citizens will have to ensure that they adhere to the basic guidelines of physical distancing, wearing face masks, sanitization, etc.


It is likely though that passenger trains will not run at the moment, but special trains will ply as before. An increase in the number of trains and routes of special trains is also being discussed upon.


The resumption of operations of domestic flights from May 18 is another aspect that is being considered. Domestic flights can begin operations on selected routes. The frequency will be kept low in the first phase, which can be increased in the coming days or months. However, many states are currently protesting the resumption of flight services insisting that it might potentially increase the risk of contamination.


As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak continues to spread like wildfire in India, the central and state governments are respectively amping up all of their efforts to check potential contamination.