COVID-19: Lockdown 3.0 begins today with ‘considerable relaxations’

New Delhi, May 04: The third phase of coronavirus lockdown will kick in from Monday with "considerable relaxations" in several states. However, curbs will continue in containment.

According to the Union Health Ministry on Sunday, the death toll stood at 1,306 while the total cases climbed to 40,263 on Sunday. The recovery rate was nearly 25 per cent.

As coronavirus cases jumped by 2,487 in the highest ever 24-hour spike and the fatalities rose by a record 83, officials cautioned against any violation of the lockdown curbs so that the gains achieved so far in the battle against COVID-19 are not "squandered away".

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged people to observe the extended two-week period of lockdown in letter and spirit and treat it as an effective intervention to cut down the chain of transmission of COVID-19.

According to the health ministry, as on Friday, there were 130 'Red' zones, maximum of 19 in UP, followed by 14 in Maharashtra. The number of 'Orange' Zones was 284 and 'Green' was 319.

According to the data received on Sunday, for the past three days, the doubling rate of the virus is 12.0, for seven days it is 11.7 and for 14 days it is 10.4, the minister was quoted as saying in a statement.

Retailers and traders expect to re-open more shops under the new relaxed guidelines although they are still seeking clarity from local authorities.

The lockdown was imposed on March 25 and is slated to last till May 17 after two extensions putting the total period of restrictions at 54 days.

What is prohibited

• Travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road
• Running of schools, colleges, and other educational and training and coaching institutions
• Hospitality services, including hotels and restaurants
• Places of large public gatherings such as cinema halls, malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes etc; social, political, cultural and other kinds of gatherings and religious places or places of worship for public.
• Movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities shall remain strictly prohibited between 7 pm and 7 am.
• In all zones, people 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.

What is allowed

• Movement of people by air, rail and road is allowed for select purposes, and for purposes as permitted by ministry of home affairs.
• 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.
• All goods traffic is to be permitted and no state or Union Territory shall stop the movement of cargo for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighbouring countries.