分类： bharat

The nationwide coronavirus lockdown will be extended by two weeks after May 4, the government has said.

The home ministry has also issued new guidelines to regulate different activities in this period, based on the risk profiling of the districts of the country into red (hotspot), green and orange zones.

The guidelines have permitted considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones.

Below is the full text of the press release issued by the Home Ministry

EXTENSION OF LOCKDOWN FOR A FURTHER PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS WITH EFFECT FROM MAY 4, 2020.

After a comprehensive review, and in view of the Lockdown measures having led to significant gains in the COVID-19 situation in the country, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GoI) issued an Order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, today, to further extend the Lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4, 2020. MHA also issued new guidelines to regulate different activities in this period, based on the risk profiling of the districts of the country into Red (hotspot), Green and Orange Zones. The guidelines have permitted considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones.

2. The criteria for identification of districts as Red, Green and Orange Zones have been spelt out in detail in the letter dated April 30, 2020, issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), GoI. The Green Zones will be districts with either zero confirmed cases till date; or, no confirmed case in the last 21 days. The classification of districts as Red Zones will take into account the total number of active cases, doubling rate of confirmed cases, extent of testing and surveillance feedback from the districts. Those districts, which are neither defined as Red nor Green, shall be classified as Orange zones. The classification of districts into Red, Green and Orange Zones will be shared by MoHFW with the States and Union Territories (UTs) on a weekly basis, or earlier, as required. While States and UTs can include additional districts as Red and Orange Zones, they may not lower the classification of a district included by MoHFW in the list of Red or Orange Zones.

3. A number of districts of the country have, within their boundaries, one or more Municipal Corporations (MCs). It has been observed that due to higher population density within the MCs, and consequent greater inter-mixing of people, the incidence of COVID-19 within the boundary of the MC(s) is higher than in the rest of the district. In the new guidelines, therefore, it has been provided that such districts will be classified into two Zones, i.e., one Zone for the area under the boundary of the MC(s); and, another for the area falling outside the boundary of the MC(s). If the area outside the boundary of the MC(s) has reported no case for the last 21 days, it will be allowed to be classified as one stage lower than the overall classification of the district as either Red or Orange. Hence, this area will be classified as Orange, in case the district is overall Red; or as Green, in case the district is overall Orange. This classification will enable more economic and other activities in that area of the district, which is relatively less affected by the incidence of COVID-19, while also ensuring that due caution continues to be exercised so that these areas remain free from COVID-19 cases. This dispensation has been made only in respect of districts having Municipal Corporation (s).

4. The most sensitive areas of the country, from the spread of COVID-19 point of view, and falling within the Red and Orange Zones, are designated as Containment Zones. These are areas where there is significant risk of spread of the infection. The containment areas would be defined by respective District Administrations, taking into account the total number of active cases, their geographical spread, and the need to have well demarcated perimeters from the enforcement point of view. The local authority shall ensure 100% coverage of Aarogya Setu app among the residents of the Containment Zone. Containment Zones would have intensified surveillance protocols, with contact tracing, house to house surveillance, home/ institutional quarantining of persons based on their risk assessment, and clinical management. Strict perimeter control would need to be ensured, so that there is no movement of people in and out of these Zones, except for medical emergencies, and for maintaining supply of essential goods and services. No other activity is permitted within the Containment Zones.

5. Under the new guidelines, a limited number of activities will remain prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the Zone. These include travel by air, rail, metro and inter-State movement by road; running of schools, colleges, and other educational and training/ 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/ places of worship for public. However, movement of persons by air, rail and road is allowed for select purposes, and for purposes as permitted by MHA.

6. The new guidelines also prescribe certain measures for well being and safety of persons. Hence, movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, shall remain strictly prohibited between 7 pm to 7 am. Local authorities shall issue orders under appropriate provisions of law, such as prohibitory orders [curfew] under Section 144 of CrPC, for this purpose, and ensure strict compliance. In all zones, persons 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. 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.

7. In the Red Zones, outside the Containment Zones, certain activities are prohibited in addition to those prohibited throughout the country. These are: plying of cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws; running of taxis and cab aggregators; intra-district and inter-district plying of buses; and, barber shops, spas and saloons.

The nationwide lockdown in India has been extended till May 17. The Ministry of Home Affairs extended the lockdown for two weeks while allowing different sets of relaxations in red, orange and green zones. The new guidelines aim at allowing India to exit from lockdown in a staggered manner while reopening the economy.

The decision for the lockdown extension came as the nationwide tally rose to 35,365. The country registered a record jump of 1,755 in novel coronavirus cases on Friday, while the toll from the deadly virus reached 1,152.

As the new cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat cluster started dropping, a new religious cluster has emerged. A number of pilgrims returning home from a Sikh gurudwara in Maharashtra have tested positive for novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Centre of Friday allowed stranded people across India to be transported back home using special trains and ships. The Modi government has also started mulling on devising a post-lockdown strategy to revive the Indian economy. PM Modi on Friday met Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss an exit strategy.

To pay homage to the corona warriors, the armed forces said that they will be conducting fly-pasts, showering petals on hospitals treating Covid-19 patients and illuminating naval vessels on May 3.

Here’s your daily capsule of all the updates on novel coronavirus:

Record surge in national tally

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 1,152 with 77 fatalities reported since Thursday evening, while the number of cases saw a record jump of 1,755 to go up to 35,365 cases on Friday, according to the Union health ministry.

The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 25,148 while 9,064 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

The Centre of Thursday claimed that India has ‘gone quite ahead’ on its way to winning the war against Covid-19. The statement from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan came as his ministry claimed that India’s coronavirus recovery rate has reached 25 per cent with just 3.2 per cent mortality rate, even as the toll from the deadly virus neared 1,100 and the national tally climbed to over 33,600.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India is doing better compared to other countries on all parameters in its fight against Covid-19 and should be able to win this decisive war in the coming few weeks.

Meanwhile, the states began preparations to help lakhs of migrant workers and students reach their homes from different parts of the country where they are stranded for over a month due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

As the nation nears the end of the Lockdown 2.0, the economic fallout of the strict restrictions has started to become increasingly visible. A study by the International Labour Organisation has claimed that almost 50 per cent of the global workforce faces job loss. Its effects in India are also increasingly visible as industry experts say it will take around six quarters for several industries to get back on their feet.

Here’s your Thursday’s wrap of top developments on Covid-19 outbreak in India:

Despite 1,823 new cases, Centre expresses hope

Even as India reported 1,823 new cases and 67 deaths due to Covid-19, the Union Health Ministry claimed that India is on the path of victory as the recovery rate has reached over 25 per cent.

As per Union Health Ministry data, the total death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 1,075 and the number of cases climbed to 33,610 in the country on Thursday. The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 24,162, while 8,372 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

“Thus, 24.90 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior Health Ministry official said.

The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals.

A total of 67 deaths were reported since Wednesday evening of which 32 fatalities were from Maharashtra, 16 from Gujarat, 11 from Madhya Pradesh, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Tamil Nadu and Delhi and one from Karnataka.

Of the 1,075 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 432 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 197, Madhya Pradesh at 130, Delhi at 56, Rajasthan at 51, Uttar Pradesh at 39 and Andhra Pradesh at 31.

The death toll reached 27 in Tamil Nadu, 26 in Telangana, 22 in West Bengal while Karantaka reported 21 deaths. Punjab has registered 19 fatalities so far. The disease has claimed eight lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala, while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three Covid-19 deaths each.

Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to the ministry data.