On Friday, the government extended the nationwide lockdown by another two weeks, till May 17. The lockdown is aimed at containing the pandemic, which has infected more than 37,000 people so far.
However, some relaxations have been announced in districts falling in the green and orange zones.
Since the biggest and the most economically-important cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad are all marked as red zones, they will remain under a strict lockdown.
Here's a look all the permitted as well as prohibited activities under this extended lockdown, or lockdown 3.0.
Let us begin with the activities that have been prohibited irrespective of the zones:
1. The list includes all sorts of travel (road, air and rail), except the categories permitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
2. Educational and training institutions such as schools, colleges and coaching centers will also remain closed. However, distance or online learning programmes are not prohibited
3. All kinds of hospitality services such as hotels and restaurants are also not allowed in this lockdown 3.0
4. That apart, large gatherings- religious, political and social - are not allowed. Also, the places of mass gatherings like malls, gyms, theatres, bars, et al will also remain closed until future notice.
5. Last, but the most important, movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, shall remain strictly prohibited between 7 pm to 7 am.
Now, let’s discuss the activities that are allowed and prohibited in red zones.
But before that, here’s something you need to know:
According to a letter released by the Union Health Ministry, "The districts were earlier designated as hotspots / red-zones, orange zones and green zones primarily based on the cumulative cases reported and the doubling rate." "Since recovery rates have gone up, the districts are now being designated across various zones duly broad-basing the criteria."
Based on the new guidelines, issued by the Ministry of Health, all districts in the country have been classified as hotspots and non-hotspots based on whether confirmed Covid-19 cases have been reported there.
As the name suggests, red zones are the areas reporting the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases, followed by orange and green zones.
At present, there are 130 districts marked as red zones in the country.
Here's the list of activities prohibited in red zones:
1. Plying of cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws
2. Running of taxis and cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber
3. Intra-district and inter-district plying of buses
4. Barber shops, spas and saloons, and
5. OPDs and medical clinics
However, there are also some relaxations which include:
In rural areas:
1. All industrial and construction activities are allowed.
2. Shops, except shopping malls, have been allowed to open.
3. Agriculture, animal husbandry and plantation activities.
4. Health services.
5. Banks, NBFCs etc. are allowed
6. Public utilities, courier and postal services are allowed.
7. Print, electronic media, IT and ITes are allowed.
8. That apart, warehouses and services by self employed workers, except barbers, are permitted.
Speaking of urban areas, the list is quite long:
1. Movement of individuals and vehicles is allowed only for permitted activities, with a maximum of 2 persons (besides the driver) in four-wheeler vehicles, and with no pillion rider in the case of two-wheelers.
2. Industrial establishments in urban areas, viz., Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Export Oriented Units (EOUs), industrial estates and industrial townships with access control have been permitted.
3. Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates are permitted.
4. Production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain are allowed.
5. Manufacturing of IT hardware is allowed.
6. Jute industry, with staggered shifts and social distancing.
7. Manufacturing units of packaging material are permitted.
8. Construction activities will be permitted in urban areas only for in situ construction (where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside).
9. Construction of renewable energy projects will be permitted.
10. All malls, market complexes and markets shall remain closed in urban areas, i.e., areas within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities. However, shops selling essential goods in markets and market complexes are permitted.
11. All standalone (single) shops, neighborhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas, without any distinction of essential and non-essential.
12. E-commerce activities will be permitted only in respect of essential goods.
13. Private offices can operate with upto 33 per cent strength according to requirement, with remainder working from home.
14. All government offices shall function with officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above to the extent of 100 per cent strength. The remaining staff will attend upto 33 percent in line with requirement.
15. Defence and Security services, Health and Family Welfare, Police, Prisons, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services, Disaster management and related services, NIC, Customs, FCI, NCC, NYK and Municipal services shall function without any restrictions; delivery of public services shall be ensured and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose.
In orange zones:
1. Inter-district and Intra-district plying of buses is prohibited for now. However, Taxis and cab aggregators, with not more than 2 passengers besides the driver are allowed.
2. Inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles is allowed, but only for permitted activities. Besides, four wheeler vehicles can’t have more than two passengers besides the driver.
In green zones:
1. All activities except those prohibited nationwide are allowed.
2. Also, Buses and bus depots can operate with 50 per cent capacity.
 "Lockdown 3.0: List of activities allowed and prohibited across the country")
