Lockdown 4.0: What’s Allowed & What’s Prohibited Under Government’s New Guidelines

In a first on Sunday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) directed the states to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 31. However, the centre soon took over to announce a list of rules that need to be followed in Lockdown 4.0. As it was explicitly hinted by PM Modi in his May 12 speech, the latest lockdown is going to be drastically different from the previous versions and comes with a lot of relaxations so as to help the country with the much-needed economical impetus. 

The home ministry has accordingly released guidelines for lockdown 4.0 and in a major move, has given the power in the hands of states and union territories to delineate and identify the red, green and orange zones. Similarly, the states will also have a say in deciding the road travel rules and how much of the inter and intrastate movement is feasible at the moment. Here’s a list of everything that remains prohibited, has been allowed, and needs to be followed during the lockdown 4.0:

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What’s Allowed ?

Here are the activities that have been allowed under the new relaxations:

• Inter-state passenger vehicles after a mutual consent from the states and union territories. 
• Intra-state passenger vehicles and buses, as per the rules decided by the states and UTs.
• Both essential and non-essential e-commerce goods (red zones included).
• Marketplaces and shops can be opened up given that they aren’t located in containment areas and malls. 
• Restaurants have been granted permission to operate kitchens for the purposes of home delivery. 
• Both inter and intra-state movement of medical professionals sans any restrictions. 
• Sports practices and tournament sans any audience or spectators.
• Taxi, autos, cab services, and e-rickshaws allowed to operate in red-zones. 
•  No limited staff (33% as earlier) rule for offices and industries given that they follow the social distancing norms as sketched by the states in which they are operating. 

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What’s Not Allowed ?

Here’s a list of activities that remain banned under Lockdown 4.0:

• Rail travel, domestic as well as international air travel, and metro services.
• All social, political, and religious gatherings and places of worship.
• Movement of people under night-time curfew i.e. from 7 pm to 7 am.
• Those over 65 years of age, children below 10, people with co-morbidity, and pregnant to stay at home, except in cases when medical assistance is required or some other essential function needs to be fulfilled. 
• Movement of people in containment zones/ red zones. 
• Offices and industries in containment zones. 
• Opening of schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. 
• Opening of cinema halls, gyms, pools, parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, etc. 
• Non-essential activities in containment zones. 

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Important Guidelines That Need To Be Followed Under Lockdown 4.0

Here is a set of guidelines that need to be duly followed during Lockdown 4.0

• It is mandatory to wear a face time all the time you are out in a public space. 
• Spitting as well as consumptions of tobacco, liquor, gutka, pan masala, tobacco in public places remains banned and would be punishable. 
• Shopkeepers need to ensure that a minimum 6 feet distance is maintained among customers and that no more 5 people are allowed in the shop. 
• Creating or propagating false alarm, messages or warning regarding the coronavirus crisis shall on conviction, be punishable with imprisonment up to one year or with fine.
• Obstruction to any officer or employee government or any other authorised personnel would be punishable.
• No more than 50 guests to be allowed for marriage functions.
• No more than 20 people to be allowed on funerals and last rites. 

Lastly, we need to remember that relaxations in the lockdown rules don’t mean that the pandemic is over and we can do as we please. This needs to be kept in mind that we remain as vulnerable to the coronavirus infection during lockdown 4.0 as we were in the earlier phases and thus social distancing is our biggest weapon in the current crisis. Stay safe

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