New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today extended lockdown for two more weeks till May 17 with effect from May 4 after issuing an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
However, relaxations may be given in green and orange zones in the country, the Government said.
The announcement comes just 2 days before the ending of an extended lockdown. The lockdown, which is in place since March 25, was set to end on May 3.
In its order, MHA said: “After a comprehensive review and in view of the lockdown measures having led to significant gains in the Covid-19 situation, the government has decided to further extend the lockdown.”
Bus, train and air travel will remain suspended; schools and colleges will are remain shut during the extended lockdown.
Apart from that, the Centre has made the use of Aarogya Setu app compulsory for its employees. Earlier, the app usage was on a voluntary basis.
Earlier today, the Centre divided the districts in the country into ‘red’, ‘green’ and ‘orange’ zones as per the doubling rate and number of cases. At least 130 districts are in red zone, 284 districts in orange zone and 319 in green zone.
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.
Metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad are in the red zone.
As per the Home Ministry, the guidelines have permitted considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange zones.
Earlier today, the MHA also allowed the operating of special trains by the Railways for ferrying migrant workers, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different parts in the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
A special train with 1,255 migrant labourers, left from Hyderabad’s Lingampally to Hatia in Jharkhand today, the first such train in the country to carry migrants amid the nationwide lockdown.
India has reported 1,993 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number in the country to 35,365 today. 1,152 deaths have been recorded due to the virus so far, the Union Health Ministry said in the daily press conference today. Maharashtra recorded the highest number of infections, nearly 10,500, followed by Gujarat (4,395) and Delhi (3,515).
