Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
As was widely anticipated, the 21-day lockdown has now been extended. In an address to the nation on the morning of Tuesday, 14 April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the lockdown will continue for at least three more weeks – till 3 May – to further curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. What’s different now? What do the fresh guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs say?
Read on.
What do I need to know about the lockdown extension?
The lockdown, which was earlier supposed to end on 14 April, has now been extended by another 18 days till 3 May.
In other words, people are urged to follow social distancing more strictly and step out of their homes only if necessary. And local bodies will ensure the implementation on ground.
Which activities continue to be prohibited till 3 May?
- All domestic and international travel of passengers
- Passenger movement by trains and buses for public transport
- Metro rail services in all cities
- Inter-district and inter-state movement of individuals except for medical reasons
- All educational institutions, training and coaching centers will remain closed
- Taxis and cab aggregators
- All cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gyms, sports complexes, swimming pools, bars and auditoriums
- All social/political/sports/academic/cultural gatherings or events
- All religious places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited
- In case of funerals, a congregation of more than 20 people will not be permitted
What will be different after 20 April?
In their fresh set of guidelines, the MHA said that “select additional activities” will be allowed after 20 April. However, the exemptions will be operationalised by the state government and district administration based on strict compliance of existing guidelines of social distancing.
Modi too, in his address, said that “strict lockdown” will be followed till 20 April, post which relaxation of norms may be allowed after evaluation. This will be done after analysing the spread of coronavirus, especially in hotspots.
“We can look at some relaxations post 20 April in places where no new cases are seen – with very strict conditions.”Narendra Modi
What are the seven counts on which Modi sought people’s support?
- Taking care of the elderly and those who already have a history of health issues.
- Following lockdown and social distancing strictly as well as using homemade face masks mandatorily.
- Following the AYUSH ministry's advisory in order to increase immunity.
- Downloading the Aarogya Setu mobile app and encouraging others to do so.
- Helping the poor as much as possible, especially with food.
- Not laying-off employees during the lockdown period.
- Supporting the “COVID-19 warriors" on the frontlines, including doctors, nurses, sanitation workers and police personnel.
(Email us at COVID19FAQs@thequint.com for all your queries related to coronavirus or the lockdown.)
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