Hello and welcome to Quick look. I am Siddharth Mathew.

This week saw a few interesting turn of events.

The nationwide lockdown has been extended till May 3.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the decision to extend the nation-wide lockdown till May 3 was crucial to contain the spread of the virus to newer districts.

Prime Minister also suggested that low-risk areas could be opened up for certain specific activities from April 20, but with certain caveats.

On Wednesday, the Home Ministry issued the revised guidelines related to the lockdown.

According to the revised guidelines of the Home Ministry, public transport services, including flights and trains, cinema halls, shopping complexes and malls, and educational institutions will remain closed till May 3.

But selected industrial activities, particularly those that are conducted outside urban areas, and are important to maintain essential services as well as supplies will be allowed to function from April 20.

While buses and taxis will remain off the roads, long-distance travel trains and flights will not be permitted till the extended lockdown gets lifted. Howver, those people involved in providing healthcare will be exempted from these restrictions.

During this period all social, political, religious, sports, academic, and entertainment functions will be banned.

A group of not more than 20 people will be allowed to participate in funerals.

The Indian Railways has cancelled all operations related to passenger trains till May 3 and has decided to stop accepting ticket bookings from those who wish to travel even after May 3.

That’s all we have for this episode. Tune in next week for another set of updates. Until then, stay home and stay safe.

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