As the nationwide lockdown enters its third phase on Monday, the State government on Saturday issued new guidelines demarcating red, orange and green zones and the level of activity permitted in these areas.
While major cities in the country like Delhi shall see several relaxations, no such relief is on offer for urban areas within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, and containment zones in the State.
As per the new norms, more than five people won’t be allowed at any given time in public spaces. Wearing masks in public and at workplaces has been made mandatory. Shops selling paan and tobacco won’t be allowed to open, but liquor stores, where allowed, can function if only five people are allowed at a time and customers stand six feet apart.
The Aarogya Setu app has been made mandatory for public and private employees, while senior citizens, people with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below 10 years have been asked to stay home.
Districts with zero COVID-19 cases in the last 21 days will be demarcated as green zones. Districts will be marked as red zone taking into account their tally of cases and doubling rate, while areas outside these two categories will be marked orange.
Only essential goods, medicines and medical equipment will be allowed on e-commerce platforms, while industries manufacturing essential goods, pharmaceuticals and IT hardware can begin operations. In orange zones, inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles will be allowed with special passes.
In green zones, all activities are permitted and buses can operate with only 50% seating capacity.
Within red and orange zones, district administration shall demarcate containment areas where only transport of goods and entry of individuals for medical emergencies will be permitted.
In red zones, plying of cycles, autorickshaws, inter-State and intra-State buses won’t be allowed. Malls, markets, barber shops, spas and salons will remain closed.
However, standalone shops and stores in residential complexes will allowed in areas excluding MMR, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations and Malegaon. Private and government offices in other areas will be allowed to function with 33% attendance.
