As Rest Of India Moves To Unlock 1, Tamil Nadu & Punjab Extend COVID-19 Lockdown Till June 30

After over two months of lockdown, India is moving towards easing rules despite a reported surge in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. While the ongoing lockdown which was to end on May 31 has been extended for another week, the country will move on to Unlock 1 and not Lockdown 5.0.

BCCL

This is the first step towered opening up the country in a phased manner. In phase one, all religious places and places of worship, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services, shopping malls will be permitted to open, followed by schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions, etc. in the second phase after consultations with States and UTs.

AFP

Though domestic flights has been resumed, international air travel, operation of Metro trains, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums will remain shut. There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods. Night Curfew will continue to remain in force, on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities.

BCCL

States, based on their assessment of the situation, may prohibit certain activities outside the Containment zones, or impose such restrictions.

While most of the states have been chalking out there plans for Unlock 1, two states, Tamil Nadu and Punjab have said that the restrictions will remain in place throughout June.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday announced a four-week extension in the lockdown in Punjab, till June 30, citing the threat of community transmission of COVID-19. ¡°We had 23 new cases on Friday and 19 cases on Saturday which did not have a travel or contact history. These are the dangers of stage three of the virus. We have to go be careful and cautious,¡± he said.

Singh, however, said that Lockdown 5.0 will have more relaxations to the restrictions.

BCCL

Tamil Nadu also announced an extension of the ongoing lockdown till June 30, with more relaxations that included partially opening up public transport and allowing more employees at the workplace.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami said the curbs on religious places, inter-state bus transport, and Metro and suburban rails would continue. Public transport will resume with reduced services from June 1, but buses will not be operated in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpet districts having the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases in the state. Private stage carriers will be allowed to operate in authorised routes, Palaniswami said.

"To prevent the spread of coronavirus, the curfew is being extended till June 30 under the State Disaster Management Act and as per the Union Home Ministry's notification," he said in a statement.