Unlock 1.0: Mandir, Masjid, Malls allowed to open from June 8, curfew shortened to 9pm-5am

Except containment zones, where lockdown will continue till June 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a set of new guidelines called Unlock 1.0, that will pave way to reopen prohibited activities in a phased manner.

“Whereas in exercise of the powers under section 6(2)(i) of the Disaster Management act 2005, National Disaster Management Authority has directed the undersigned to issue an order to extend the lockdown in Containment Zones upto 30.06.2020 and to reopen prohibited activities in a phased manner in areas outside Containment Zones” the MHA order stated.

The order mentioned relaxation of prohibited activities under three phases, which are-

Phase I: Religious places and places of worship for public; hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services; and shopping malls; will be permitted to open from June 8, 2020. The government to issue separate guidelines in this regard.

Phase II: Schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc., will be opened after consultations with States and UTs.

Phase III: Dates for the opening of International air travel of passengers; operation of Metro Rail; cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks etc will be decided based on an assessment of the situation.

Regarding the Night Curfew, the order mentioned, the movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm to 5 am throughout the country, except for essential activities. The local authority will issue orders in this regard.

Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.

Regarding the interstate movement of persons and goods, the order mentioned that there would be no need for separate permissions or approvals. “There shall be no restriction on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods. No separate permission/ approval/ e-permit will be required for such movements. However, if a State/ UT, based on reasons of public health and its assessment of the situation, proposes to regulate the movement of persons, it will give wide publicity in advance regarding the restrictions to be placed on such movement, and the related procedures to be followed.”

The ministry asked all the employers to ensure “on best efforts”, that all their employees install Aarogya Setu mobile application.

MHA also entrusted the states/UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, to prohibit certain activities outside the containment zones or impose restrictions it deems necessary.