As India prepares to continue the implementation of the lockdown till May 3, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an order to allow select additional activities in areas not demarcated as containment zones by States, Union Territories and District Administrations. In addition, consolidated revised guidelines have been issued, delineating the prohibited activities across the country, activities allowed in containment zones, and select permitted activities allowed from April 20 in the rest of the country.
As per the government, the objective of the revised guidelines is to consolidate the gains achieved during the first phase of lockdown and further slow down the spread of Covid-19 and at the same time provide relief to farmers, labourers and daily wage earners. Here’s a lowdown:
What is not allowed across the country?
The activities prohibited across the country include travel by air, rail and road; operation of educational and training institutions; industrial and commercial activities; hospitality services; all cinema halls, shopping complexes, theatres, etc., all social, political and other events, and opening of all religious places/ places of worship for members of public, including religious congregations.
What about containment zones?
In containment zones, no unchecked inward or outward movement of population would be allowed, except for maintaining essential services like medical emergencies and law & order duties, and government business continuity.
Very strong containment measures will be implemented in the hotspot districts accounting for large number of Covid 19 cases or with fast growth of cases. Only essential services are to be permitted in these zones and strict perimeter control and strict restrictions on movement enforced.
What all will be allowed from April 20?
The permitted activities from April 20 are aimed at ensuring that agricultural and related activities remain fully functional, the rural economy functions with maximum efficiency, employment opportunities are created for daily wage earners and other members of the labour force, select industrial activities are allowed to resume their operations, with adequate safeguards and mandatory standard operating protocols (SOPs) and the digital economy.
At the same time, keeping the imperative of containing the spread of COVID-19 in the country, National Directives for COVID-19 management have been laid down, which shall be enforced by the District Magistrates through fines and penal action as prescribed in the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Transportation of goods will be permitted without any distinction of essential or non essential. Farming operations, including procurement of agricultural products, agriculture marketing through notified Mandis and direct and decentralized marketing, manufacture, distribution and retail of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds; activities of marine and inland fisheries; animal husbandry activities, including the supply chain of milk, milk products, poultry and live-stock farming; and tea, coffee and rubber plantations are allowed to be functional.
To provide an impetus to the rural economy, industries operating in rural areas, including food processing industries; construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and industrial projects in rural areas; works under MNREGA, with priority to irrigation and water conservation works; and operation of rural Common Service Centres (CSCs) have all been allowed. These activities will create job opportunities for rural labor, including the migrant labor force.
Manufacturing and other industrial establishments with access control have been permitted in SEZs, EoUs, industrial estates and industrial townships after implementation of SOP for social distancing. Manufacture of IT hardware and of essential goods and packagings are also allowed. Coal, mineral and oil production are permitted activities. It is expected that the industrial and manufacturing sectors will see a revival with these measures, and will create job opportunities while maintaining safety protocols and social distancing. At the same time, the important components of the financial sector like RBI, banks, ATMs, capital and debt markets as notified by SEBI and insurance companies will also remain functional, with a view to provide enough liquidity and credit support to the industrial sectors.
Digital economy is critical to the services sector and is important for national growth. Accordingly, e-commerce operations, operations of IT and IT enabled services, data and call centres for Government activities, and online teaching and distance learning are all permitted activities now.
The revised guidelines also permit all health services and the social sector to remain functional; public utilities to function without any hindrance; the supply chain of essential goods to operate without any hindrance; and, important offices of Central and State Governments and local bodies to remain open with required strength.