Curbs stay in Red zone, buses can ply in Green zones at 50% capacity
The Union Home Ministry extended a diluted lockdown for two more weeks from May 4 by allowing a series of relaxations and classifying the districts into three categories — Red, Orange and Green Zones — for this purpose. Except in 130 Red zone district, major shares of normal activities will resume with different sets of restriction in 80 per cent of the country comprising 284 orange zones districts and 319 green zones districts.
Public movement will not be allowed for non-essential activities in all zones from 7 pm to 7 am.
In green zones, all activities are permitted except the limited number of activities which are prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zone. However buses can operate with up to 50 per cent seating and depots can operate at 50 per cent capacity.
In Red Zones which are high risk areas or containment zones, private vehicles are permitted with two persons and driver for four wheelers. Two wheelers can zip around without a pillion rider. Liquor shops, malls and barber shops will remain shut in red zone. However, liquor shops and pan shops will be opened in green zones with a caveat that not more than five persons will be present there at a time. Since Delhi and all other metropolitan cities are Red zones, the booze lovers will have to keep waiting for further relaxation.
Red and Orange Zones are known as Containment Zones, where local administration is asked to ensure the usage of Aarogya Setu App by all, including daily monitoring and surveillance of Covid-19 situations on regular basis. Hotels, Restaurants, Cinema Halls, gyms, etc, are not allowed in Containment Zones.
Private offices with 33 per cent attendance will be permitted to open in Red Zone, but public transport, including taxis and even auto-cycle rickshaws will not be allowed.
In Orange Zones, in addition to activities permitted in Red Zone, taxis and cab aggregators will be permitted with 1 driver and 1 passenger only. Inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles will be allowed for permitted activities only.
Four wheeler vehicles will have maximum two passengers besides the driver and pillion riding will be allowed on two-wheelers. In Orange Zones, buses are allowed with 50 per cent seating.
In all zones, educational institutes, public and social religious gathering will not be allowed. The States are empowered to add Red or Orange Zones, but they can’t decrease them. The Union Health Ministry will decide the classification of Red, Orange and Green Zones on weekly basis.
At present out of total 773 districts, 130 districts are classified into Red Zones and big cities like entire Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai fall under Red Zones. As many as 284 districts are under Orange Zones and rest 319 falls under Green Zones.
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.
Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and Medical clinics shall be permitted to operate in Red, Orange and Green Zones, with social distancing norms and other safety precautions; however, these will not be permitted within the Containment Zones, said MHA’s new guidelines issued on Friday evening.
“The Green Zones will be districts with either zero confirmed cases till date; or, no confirmed case in the last 21 days. The classification of districts as Red Zones will take into account the total number of active cases, doubling rate of confirmed cases, extent of testing and surveillance feedback from the districts. Those districts, which are neither defined as Red nor Green, shall be classified as Orange zones,” said Union Home Ministry’s new seven page guidelines issued on Friday evening.
There is a sub classification in Red Zones which are very big districts in big cities having Municipal Corporations and having relatively non-affected outer areas.
“A number of districts of the country have, within their boundaries, one or more Municipal Corporations (MCs). It has been observed that due to higher population density within the MCs, and consequent greater inter-mixing of people, the incidence of Covid-19 within the boundary of the MC(s) is higher than in the rest of the district. In the new guidelines, therefore, it has been provided that such districts will be classified into two zones, i.e., one zone for the area under the boundary of the MC(s); and, another for the area falling outside the boundary of the MC(s). If the area outside the boundary of the MC(s) has reported no case for the last 21 days, it will be allowed to be classified as one stage lower than the overall classification of the district as either Red or Orange. Hence, this area will be classified as Orange, in case the district is overall Red; or as Green, in case the district is overall Orange, “ the guideline said.
This classification will enable more economic and other activities in that area of the district, which is relatively less affected by the incidence of Covid-19, while also ensuring that due caution continues to be exercised so that these areas remain free from Covid-19 cases. This distinction has been made only in respect of districts having municipal corporation(s).
Shops in urban areas, for non-essential goods, are not allowed in malls, markets and market complexes. However, all standalone (single) shops, neighborhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas, without any distinction of essential and non-essential.
E-Commerce activities, in the Red Zones, are permitted only in respect of essential goods. Private offices can operate with up to 33 per cent strength as per requirement, with the remaining persons working from home. All Government offices shall function with senior officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above at full strength, and the remaining staff attending up to 33 per cent as per requirement, said MHA.
NCC and Nehru Yuvak Kendra’s will work in full strength in all zones like police, health and sanitation departments.
The new guidelines reiterated that all truck movements will operate including for non-essential items and stand alone shops will be opened. However e-commerce in non-essential items in Red Zones not permitted.
All are important pick those as per space
In Red Zone - Persons above 65 and below 10 years and pregnant women and persons with co-morbid issues are advised to stay home. No malls, cinema halls, liquor shops, barber shops are allowed.
Movement of individuals and vehicles is allowed only for permitted activities, with a maximum of 2 persons (besides the driver) in four-wheeler vehicles, and with no pillion rider in the case of two-wheelers.
The other industrial activities permitted are manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain; manufacturing of IT hardware; jute industry with staggered shifts and social distancing; and, manufacturing units of packaging material.
Construction activities in urban areas have been limited to in-situ construction (where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside) and construction of renewable energy projects.
Shops in urban areas, for non-essential goods, are not allowed in malls, markets and market complexes. However, all standalone (single) shops, neighborhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas, without any distinction of essential and non-essential.
Ecommerce activities, in the Red Zones, are permitted only in respect of essential goods.
Private offices can operate with up to 33% strength as per requirement, with the remaining persons working from home. All Government offices shall function with senior officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above at full strength, and the remaining staff attending 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, National Informatics Centre (NIC), Customs, Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Cadet Corps (NCC), Nehru Yuvak Kendra (NYK) and Municipal services shall function without any restrictions; delivery of public services shall be ensured and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose.
All industrial and construction activities in rural areas, including MNREGA works, food-processing units and brick-kilns are permitted; besides, in rural areas, without distinction to the nature of goods, all shops, except in shopping malls are permitted.
All agriculture activities, e.g., sowing, harvesting, procurement and marketing operations in the agricultural supply chain are permitted. Animal husbandry activities are fully permitted, including inland and marine fisheries. All plantation activities are allowed, including their processing and marketing.
All health services (including AYUSH) are to remain functional, including transport of medical personnel and patients through air ambulances. A large part of the financial sector remains open, which includes banks, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), insurance and capital market activities, and credit co operative societies. Operation of homes for children, senior citizens, destitutes, women and widows etc.; and operation of Anganwadis has also been permitted.
Public utilities, e.g., utilities in power, water, sanitation, waste management, telecommunications and internet will remain open, and courier and postal services will be allowed to operate.
Most of the commercial and private establishments have been allowed in the Red Zones. These include print and electronic media, IT and IT enabled services, data and call centres, cold storage and warehousing services, private security and facility management services, and services provided by self-employed persons, except for barbers etc., as mentioned earlier.
Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain; Jute industry with staggered shifts and social distancing; and manufacturing of IT hardware and manufacturing units of packaging material will continue to be permitted.