Lockdown 4.0: 7 pm-7 am night curfew to continue; red, orange, green zones to be delineated by states

The fourth phase of nationwide coronavirus lockdown, set to continue till May 31, will allow movement of people during the daytime, and inter-state transport. It will, however, continue to enforce prohibition on all public gatherings, closure of schools, malls and restaurants, and suspension of flight and metro services.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a nine-page guidelines listing the dos and don'ts during the lockdown 4.0. The guidelines came soon after the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) extended the national lockdown beyond Sunday till May-end.

According to the guidelines, people above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, children aged below 10 shall stay at home during the lockdown 4.0.

Also read | Nationwide lockdown extended till May 31 to contain spread of coronavirus

The Centre has also allowed the states to delineate the red, green and orange zones themselves -- a key demand of the states during last week's meeting between chief ministers and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The movement of people will remain strictly prohibited across the country from 7 pm to 7 am, except for essential activities," the guidelines said.

All domestic, international air travel of passengers, except domestic air ambulance, will remain prohibited.

Inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses will be allowed with mutual consent of the states involved.

Metro rail services, schools, colleges will remain closed till May end. Hotels, restaurants, cinema halls, malls, swimming pools, gyms will also remain shut even as all social, political, religious functions, and places of worship will be closed till May 31.

Furthermore, all social, political, religious functions, and places of worship to remain shut during extended lockdown till May 3.

All shops, except those in containment zones and malls, will be allowed to open from Monday with staggered timings, and local authorities shall ensure that the rules are followed.

The shops will have to ensure six feet distance among customers; and more than five people should not be allowed at one time.

In order to facilitate the movement of persons, various modes of transport have already been opened up which includes limited train services since May 11.

Also read | Lockdown extended in Tamil Nadu till May 31; transport curbs eased in 25 districts

Further, evacuation of foreign nationals from India, return of stranded Indian nationals from abroad, sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers, and intra-State and inter-State movement of stranded persons by bus and train, will continue to be allowed.

Under these guidelines, wearing of face covers is compulsory, spitting will be punishable with fine, and social distancing is to be followed by all persons in public places and in transport.

Rules barring not more than 50 persons for marriage and 20 for funeral will continue to remain in force.

The practice of work from home (WFH) should be followed to the extent possible and staggering of work hours should be adopted in respect of all offices and other establishments.

With a view to ensure safety in offices and work places, employers should ensure that Aarogya Setu app is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones, it said.

State and UT Governments shall continue to strictly enforce the lockdown guidelines and they shall not dilute these guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in any manner, the home ministry said.

Also read | Maharashtra government extends lockdown till May 31

The death toll in India due to COVID-19 rose to 2,872 and the number of total positive cases climbed to 90,927 on Sunday morning.

(with inputs from PTI)