Maharashtra government issues lockdown 3.0 guidelines

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New Delhi: Maharashtra government on Saturday (May 2, 2020) issued notification and guidelines for the lockdown 3.0. With the extension of the lockdown period for a further period of two weeks with effect from May 4, 2020, new guidelines, as under, will be applicable in Maharashtra based on the risk profiling of the districts into Red (Hotspot), Green and Orange zones.

The identification of Red (Hotspots), Green and Orange Zones and the criteria for dividing the districts of the State into three zones -- green, red and orange, will be as follows: 

a. Green Zones: Green Zones shall be defined as per the following criteria: districts with zero confirmed case to date; or; districts with no confirmed case in the last 21 days. 

b. Red Zones or Hotspot Districts: Districts shall be defined as Red Zones or Hotspot districts, by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India (Gol), taking into account total number of active cases, doubling the rate of confirmed cases, the extent of testing and surveillance feedback. 

c. Orange Zones: Districts, which are neither defined as Red nor as Green Zones, shall be Orange Zones. 

In the Containment Zones, within Red (Hotspots) and Orange Zones, where maximum precaution is required, there shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of population in or out of these zones except for medical emergencies and for maintaining a supply of essential goods and services. 

Activities prohibited:

- All schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc. However, online/ distance learning shall be permitted. 

- Hospitality services other than those used for housing health/ police/ Government officials/ healthcare workers, stranded persons including tourists, and those used for quarantine facilities. 

- All cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places. 

- All social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functions/ other gatherings. 

- All religious places/ places of worship shall be closed for the public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.

- The movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, shall remain strictly prohibited between 7 pm to 7 am. 

In all zones, 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 meeting essential requirements and for health purposes, as per the National Directives.

In Containment Zones, Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and Medical clinics shall not be permitted to operate. However, these may be permitted to operate in Red, Orange and Green Zones, with social distancing norms and other safety precautions. 

Apart from the prohibited activities mentioned above, the following activities shall not be permitted:

a. Cycle rickshaws and auto-rickshaws.

b. Taxis and cab aggregators. 

c. Intra-district and inter-district plying of buses.

d. Barbershops, spas, and salons. 

The following activities shall be permitted with restrictions as specified: 

a. Movement of individuals and vehicles, only for permitted activities. Four wheeler vehicles will have a maximum of two passengers besides the vehicle driver; for two-wheelers, a pillion rider is not allowed. 

b. Industrial establishments in urban areas: Only Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Export Oriented Units (EOUs), industrial estates and industrial townships with access control excluding from the area of all Municipal Corporations within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Malegaon Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC); Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; Production units, which require continuous 6 processes, and their supply chain; Manufacturing of IT hardware; with staggered shifts and social distancing; and, Manufacturing units of packaging material are permitted. All industrial activities are permitted in rural areas. 

c. Construction activities in urban areas: Only in-situ construction (where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside) and construction ofrenewable energy projects are permitted. All construction activities are permitted in rural areas. 

d. All shops in rural areas, except in malls, are permitted to remain open, without any distinction of essential and non-essential. Social distancing (2 Gaz ki doori) will be maintained in all cases. 

e. E-commerce activities will be permitted only in respect of essential goods, medicine, medical equipment, etc. 

f. Private offices in the area excluding the area of all Municipal Corporations within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Malegaon Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri- Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) can operate with up to 33% strength as per requirement, with the remaining persons working from home. 

g. All Government offices in the area excluding the area of all Municipal Corporations within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Malegaon Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) shall function with officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above to the extent of 100% strength. The remaining staff will attend up to 33% as per requirement. However, Defense and Security services, Health and Family Welfare, Police, Prisons, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services, Disaster management and related services, NIC, Customs, FCI, NCC, NY K and Municipal services shall function without any restrictions; delivery of public services shall be ensured and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose. 

h. All Pre-monsoon related works including the protection of building, shuttering, water-proofing, flood protection, propping and structural repairs of the building, demolition of unsafe buildings, etc. Also, the pre-monsoon works related to Metro works and any other such works permitted by the Municipal Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), all Municipal Corporations in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). 

No travel into a green zone will be permitted without authorized pass. Buses can operate with up to 50% seating capacity. Bus depots can operate with up to 50% capacity. However, the buses shall ply only within the green zone. The activities that are permitted by the State Government from time to time through various Orders and guidelines shall be continued with specific restrictions. 

Wearing of face cover is compulsory in all public places. No organization/ manager of a public place shall allow gathering of 5 or more persons.

Marriages related gatherings shall ensure social distancing, and the maximum number of guests allowed shall not be more than 50. Funeral/ last rites related gatherings shall ensure social distancing, and the maximum numbers allowed shall not be more than 20.

Spitting in public places shall be punishable with fine, as may be prescribed by the State/ UT local authority. tobacco etc. in public places is not allowed. Consumption of liquor, paan, and tobacco shall remain closed. The shops of paan, shops selling liquor will ensure minimum six feet distance (2 gaz ki doori) from each other, and also ensure that not more than 5 persons are present at one time at the shop.

Wearing of face cover is compulsory in all workplaces and adequate stock of such face covers shall be made available. Social distancing at workplaces shall be ensured through adequate gaps between shifts, staggering the lunch breaks of staff, etc. Provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizer preferably with touch-free mechanism will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas.

In addition, sufficient quantities of handwash and sanitizer shall be made available in the workplace. Frequent sanitization of the entire workplace, common facilities, and all points which come into human contact e.g. door handles, etc., shall be ensured, including between shifts.

Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be made mandatory for all employees, both private and public.