After speaking with Shah, Goa CM hints, lockdown may be extended by 15 days

New Delhi, May 29: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the nation-wide lockdown may be extended for another 15 days.

He told the media that after speaking with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he felt that the lockdown may be extended for another 15 days. We, however, demand that there should be some more relaxations.

Restaurants should be allowed to open with social distancing and at 50 per cent capacity. Many, even want the gymnasiums to open, the Goa CM said.

With the lockdown 4.0 set to come to an end on May 31, several states want curbs only in the containment zones.

In the existing lockdown, states were given a bigger hand to decide on the curbs. Many states have been getting representation to open schools, religious institutions and also hotels.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah spoke with the Chief Ministers and sought their view on the way forward. The MHA is likely to come out with a set of new guidelines before the lockdown ends on Sunday.

While the States would continue to decide on the strategy, the Centre is likely to insist on stricter implementation of curbs in the containment zones. While no final decision has been taken, sources say that there would be further relaxations, but the strategy on containment zones would remain as it is or even stricter.

The source cited above said that many States are not inclined as yet towards opening of malls, hotels, gyms and schools. States want to ramp up testing and also do not want any change in the quarantine rules.

Many States have also been getting representations from television and film production units to allow them to start production. In Rajasthan, there would be curfew and non-curfew zones to contain the spread of the virus.

Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to wait for the Centre's regulations. However, the state is unlikely to relax the norms for theatres, function halls and places of worship.

The other big challenge for the States would be to ensure that the academic year is not disturbed. Some states are wary of immediately opening educational institutions, while others wanted a graded exit in this matter. In Chhattisgarh, it has been decided that schools would open only from July 1. Karnataka, on the other hand, wants the Centre to issue guidelines on the re-opening of schools.

Karnataka on Thursday said that travel into the State from those States reporting a high number of cases would be restricted. While all travel by road is barred, the State has requested the Centre to restrict the number of trains and flights into the state.