On Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued new guidelines as part of Unlock 3, to further relax lockdown restrictions outside containment zones. The new guidelines are to come into affect from August 1, 2020.
News agency ANI also reported that "Lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in the Containment Zones till 31 August, 2020."
The new set of guidelines for Unlock 3 comes shortly after the number of positive cases in India crossed 15 lakh, ranking 3rd globally in overall cases of COVID-19. The latest 24-hours spike in cases was reported to be more than 48,000, with 768 fatalities.
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Lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in the Containment Zones till 31 August, 2020: Government of India
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020
Here are the key highlights from the new set of guidelines for Unlock 3:
- Restrictions on movement during the night shall be removed.
- Yoga institutes and gymnasiums to be allowed to open from August 5. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) will provide a standard operating procedure to ensure social distancing.
- Independence Day functions will be allowed on August 15 with social distancing and wearing of masks.
- Schools, colleges and coaching institutions are to remain closed until August 31.
- International air travel will be permitted under the Vande Bharat mission. The MHA press release also stated that further opening will take place in a calibrated manner.
- The following activities and services shall continue to remain shut:
- Metro Rail
- Cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places
- Social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functions and other large congregations
The press release also mentioned that containment zones shall continue to be under strict lockdown until August 31 and are to be demarcated by the respective state/union territory governments, taking into consideration the guidelines mentioned by MoHWF.
Furthermore, containment zones are to be notified on the websites of the respective district collectors and by the states/UTs.
On the issue of inter-state and intra-state movement, the release mentioned that there shall be no restrictions placed on the movement of persons or goods. However, the states and UTs may prohibit certain activities outside the containment zones as deemed necessary.