Industry will witness a partial lifting of the lockdown from April 20, with limited construction, mining and manufacturing of IT hardware being allowed. This apart, farming and financial operations, which are already functional, will continue to remain so.

The revised lockdown guidelines issued by the Home Ministry on Wednesday, however, made it clear that long-distance travel — by air, train or road — and public transport across the country will remain suspended, along with educational institutions, shopping malls, cinema halls and religious places, till May 3, completing 40 days of lockdown.

The government will also lift some restrictions to allow operations by courier services, e-commerce firms and freight transport by road. It will restart port and air cargo operations.

Similarly, select industrial activities, particularly outside urban areas, and those important to maintain essential services and supplies, will be allowed to function from April 20. The majority of export units can gradually restart their operations since manufacturing in SEZs and export-oriented units is allowed to resume on April 20, with adherence to norms.

The objective of the revised guidelines is to consolidate the gains achieved during the first phase of the lockdown and further slow the spread of Covid-19 while providing relief to farmers, labourers and daily-wage earners, the ministry said.

Face masks mandatory

The guidelines prescribe mandatory measures such as home-made face covers at work places and in public places, hygiene and healthcare measures such as provision of sanitisers, staggered shifts, access control, thermal screening and fines for spitting.

States will be responsible for ensuring social distancing protocols are in place. The exemptions won’t apply to virus containment zones marked out by State and district authorities, the ministry said.

The permitted activities from April 20 are aimed at ensuring that agricultural and related activities remain fully functional, the rural economy functions with maximum efficiency, and employment opportunities are created for daily wage earners and other members of the labour force.

More than 45 crore informal sector workers who depend on daily wages have been without work since the lockdown was imposed, on March 25. Similarly, more than 60 per cent of the population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture for livelihood.

Transport permitted

The guidelines said transport of both essential and non-essential goods will be permitted. Also permitted are farming operations, including procurement of agricultural products; marketing through notified mandis and direct and decentralised marketing; manufacture, distribution and retail of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds; and activities of marine and inland fisheries and animal husbandry, including the supply chain of milk, milk products, poultry and live-stock farming.

Tea, coffee and rubber plantations will be allowed to function with 50 per cent manpower.

Industries operating in rural areas, including food processing, road construction, irrigation projects, buildings and industrial projects, and works under MGNREGA will be permitted.

What changes, what remains the same
  • No long-distance travel by air, rail or road
  • City public transport to remain suspended
  • Farming, banking operations to continue
  • Activity allowed in animal husbandry, fisheries, plantations
  • Limited industrial activity in rural areas, export zones from April 20
  • The relaxations are not valid for containment zones
  • Academic institutions, religious places, malls to stay shut till May 3

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