COVID-19: Unlock 5 guidelines issued in Sept to be in force till Nov 30

Pedestrians wearing facemasks as a preventative measure against the COVID-19 wait to cross a busy road junction in New Delhi. Pic/AFP

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an order Tuesday stating that the Unlock 5 guidelines issued on September 30 will remain in force till November 30.

MHA said there shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods. "No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements," the ministry stated.

Activities permitted but with certain restrictions

• International air travel of passengers as permitted by MHA.
• Swimming pools being used for training of sportspersons.
• Exhibitions halls for Business to Business (B2B) purposes.
• Cinemas/ theatres/ multiplexes upto 50% of their seating capacity.
• Social/ academic/ sports/ entertainment/ cultural/ religious/ politicalfunctions and other congregations, in closed spaces with a maximum of 50% of the hall capacity and subject to ceiling of 200 persons.

Further decisions regarding the above activities will be taken based on the assessment of the situation.

The ministry further said that the lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in containment zones till November 30. Strict containment measures will be enforced in containment zones and only essential activities will be allowed. These containment zones will be notified on the websites of the respective district collectors.

The states are not allowed to impose any local lockdown outside containment zones without prior consultation with the Central Government.

Protection for vulnerable persons

Vulnerable persons, i.e., persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, are advised to stay at home, except for meeting essential requirements and for health purposes.

Use of AarogyaSetu

The use of AarogyaSetu mobile application will continue to be encouraged.

With a spike of 36,470 in new COVID-19 cases and 488 deaths in 24 hours, India's tally stood at 79,46,429, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. This is the lowest spike in new cases in the last three months.

Out of the total COVID-19 cases recorded on Tuesday, 6,25,857 are currently active, 72,01,070 have been discharged, while 1,19,502 lost the battle against the pandemic.

While the recovery rate stands at 90.23 per cent, the fatality rate is 1.50 per cent, the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed on Tuesday.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 16,48,665 cases, including 43,348 deaths; followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

According to the data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India conducted 9,58,116 sample tests in a single day on Monday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 10,44,20,894.

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news