In lockdown 5.0, states ask for curbs only in containment zones

By OEM Update Editorial May 29, 2020 4:02 pm IST

With lockdown 4.0 drawing to an end on May 31, state governments are considering, if central guidelines allow, the imposition of restrictions only in the containment zones and allowing a range of activities elsewhere, including opening more markets, enabling more inter-state transport facilities, allowing more commercial activity, and possibly even religious places with social distancing norms, said officials of a range of state governments.

They are also planning the eventual opening of schools in a month.

In the ongoing phase of the lockdown, the Centre gave authority to the states to demarcate zones based on the severity of cases, and within a set of broad guidelines, allowed states to frame their own rules on the extent of activity allowed. Several states allowed the resumption of private transport; limited public transport; shops (except in malls and shopping complexes) and industrial activities. The Centre, in this period, also resumed the operation of domestic flights. But the focus now shifts to the next phase.