As India extends Lockdown, know the new GUIDELINES FOR LOCKDOWN 2.0 along with the PDFs of these guidelines in this article today. Ensuring Life with Livelihood (Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi).

■ HIGHLIGHTS

• Guidelines issued by Home Ministry Received Well Across Country
• Industry Bodies Welcome Extension of Lockdown, new lockdown guidelines by MHA
• Enough stock of essential commodities, no need to worry: HM Amit Shah
• Sale of Tobacco and Liquor banned during the lockdown
• India crosses 12000 COVID-19 cases mark while entering lockdown 2.0
• Railways suspend services to mitigate COVID-19 spread
• Odisha sets “zero transmission” target against coronavirus pandemic
• Masks compulsory in public places nation-wide
• Agriculture, farm machinery shops to remain open
• April 20 onwards Groceries, fruits and vegetable markets shall operate
• Police register FIR against 1000 workers in Mumbai migrant crisis
• Air India carried around 170 MT medical items in 10 days from Shanghai, Hong Kong

NEW LOCKDOWN 2.0 GUIDELINES

In the following text, we are briefing about actions taken after April 14 PM Modi’s announcement of the extension of the nationwide lockdown in India till May 3. Home Secretary has issued a set of NEW GUIDELINES for LOCKDOWN 2 on April 15. After April 20, the government shall permit few activities in green areas, other than those demarcated as containment zones with clear Do’s and don’ts. Key points are:

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues National Directives for #COVID19 management. Wearing of face cover is compulsory in all public places, workplaces. Spitting in public places shall be punishable with fine. pic.twitter.com/14Y7zq9vqp

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2020

• ACTIVITIES ALLOWED IN PRIORITY AREAS

Agriculture, Industry in rural areas, Food Processing Industry, Construction, CSCs, MNRE, SEZs, EOUs, Banks, Insurance, IT-ITES, Online education.

• ACTIVITIES NOT ALLOWED

Industrial, Commercial, Hospitality, Educational institute, Air, Train and Bus transportation, Cinema, Malls, Shopping complexes, Sports.

• ACTIONS MADE COMPULSORY

Appointment of incident commanders responsible for the overall implementation of these measures; Use of face covers, Maintain strong Hygiene and Healthcare measures, Staggered shifts, Thermal screening, and Imposing fines for spitting.

• LOCKDOWN OF 40 DAYS

PM Modi imposed 21 days Lockdown-1.0 and 19 days Lockdown-2.0 totaling 40 days to quarantine nation to fight deadly virus COVID-19 in true sense. India with 1.3 billion population proved brave in biological weapons war.

• INTERESTING FACT

From the Latin quadraginta and the Italian quaranta, both meaning “40.” Quarantine (noun) means a period of 40 days isolation imposed upon suspected infected persons, animals, or plants.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 announced extension of lockdown until 3rd May. PM said all must maintain discipline as being observed now. The efforts are to be made to avoid any increase in the hot-spot category. If more areas get disinfected such areas will be accorded conditional permission to start necessary activities from April 20 with strict vigilant.

GUIDELINES FOR LOCKDOWN 2.0

Here are the PDFs containing GUIDELINES FOR LOCKDOWN 2.0

• MHA COMMUNICATION TO STATES /UTs
• Government GUIDELINES FOR LOCKDOWN

NEW GUIDELINES FOR LOCKDOWN 2.0

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues revised guidelines on the measures to be taken by Ministries/ Departments/ Authorities of Govt of India, State and UT governments for the containment of coronavirus in India. It is clarified that exemptions will not be provided to the hotspots or the containment zones. The hotspots zones will be checked for inward/outward movement with an exception to essential services.

GOVERNMENT BARS ALL PUBLIC ACTIVITIES

■ Following offices, establishments to remain closed and services to remain suspended till end of lockdown: –

1. Government of India, Autonomous and Subordinate Offices and Public Corporations.
2. State/ Union Territory Governments Offices, their Autonomous Bodies, Corporations.
3. Private or Commercial entities.
4. Industrial Establishments.
5. All transport services including air, rail, roadways
6. Hospitality Services
7. All educational, training, research, coaching institutions etc.
8. With no exception, any religious gathering will not be permitted at worship sites.
9. All kind of assembling may be social, political, sports, entertainment be barred.
10. More than twenty persons will not be permitted in funerals occasions.
11. All people arrived into India after February 15, 2020, and all persons directed to remain under strict home/ institutional quarantine, failing which liable to legal action under IPC Sec. 188.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES PERMITTED TO WORK

■ List of ESSENTIAL SERVICES PERMITTED TO WORK during LockDown 2.0

• Defence services and central armed police forces to function
• Pay & Accounts, CAG, Financial Advisers to work with bare minimum staff
• Petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG, Power generation and transmission, Post offices, NIC
• Customs clearance at ports, airports, land border, GSTN, MCA
• RBI, NPCI, CCIL, payment system operators and standalone primary dealers
• Police, home guards, civil defence, fire and emergency services, disaster management, prisons
• District administration and Treasury
• Electricity, water, sanitation
• Municipal bodies for essential services- sanitation, personnel, water supply etc.
• Resident Commissioner of States in New Delhi
• Forest offices, zoo, nurseries, wildlife, firefighting, watering plantations, patrolling and their necessary transport movement.
• Social Welfare Department, Homes for children, disables, senior citizens, destitute, women, widows; Observation homes; pensions.

Also Read: Aarogya Setu App: World’s First Mobile App to reach 50 Million Users in 13 Days

• Agencies for procurement of agriculture products, including MSP operations.
• Mandis’ operated by the APMC
• Hospitals, Veterinary Hospitals and related medical establishments, including manufacturing and distribution units, both in public and private sector, such as dispensaries, chemist, Pharmacies, Jan Aushadhi Kendra and medical equipment shops, laboratories, Pharmaceutical research labs, clinics, nursing homes, ambulance etc. to continue functional. The transportation for all medical personnel, nurses, para-medical staff, other hospital support services be permitted.
• Shops, including ration shops under PDS, for food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish, animal fodder, fertilizers, seeds and pesticides. Facilitate home delivery to minimize the movement
• Banks, insurance offices, ATMs including IT vendors for banking operations; Banking Correspondent and ATM operation and cash management agencies.
• Print and electronic media.

#WATCH Union Health Ministry press briefing (16th April) https://t.co/1R6KT8Gql7

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2020

• Telecommunications, internet services, broadcasting and cable services. IT and IT-enabled Services only (for essential services) and as far as possible to work from home.
• Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment through E-commerce
• Petrol pumps, LPG, Petroleum and gas retail and storage outlets.
• Power generation, transmission and distribution units and services.
• Capital and debt market services as notified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
• Cold storage and warehousing services.
• Private security services.
• Data and call centres for Government activities only.
• Farming operations by farmers and farmworkers in the field.
• Custom Hiring Centres (CHC)’ related to farm machinery.
• Shops of agriculture machinery, its spare parts (including its supply chain) and repairs to remain open.
• Shops for trucks repair on highways, preferably at fuel pumps.
• Operations of the fishing (marine)/aquaculture industry, including feeding & maintenance; hatcheries, feed plants, commercial aquaria, movement of fish/shrimp and fish products, fish seed/feed and workers for all these activities.
• Manufacturing units of essential goods, medical devices, their raw materials & inter
• Production units, which require continuous permission from the State Government.
• Manufacturing units of packaging material for food items, drugs, pharmaceutical and medical devices.

Read in Hindi: कोरोनावायरस के चलते भारत में लॉकडाउन-2.0: पीएम मोदी जी ने जनता से कही ये 7 बातें

• Manufacturing and packaging units of Fertilizers, Pesticides and Seeds.
• The tea industry, including plantation with a maximum of 50% workers.
• Transportation for essential goods.
• Fire, law and order and emergency services.
• Operations of Railways, Airports and Seaports for cargo movement, relief and evacuation.
• Inter-state movement of goods/ cargo for inland and exports.
• Cross land border movement of essential goods including petroleum products and LPG, food products, medical supplies.
• Intra and inter-state movement of harvesting and sowing related machines like combined harvester and other agriculture/horticulture implements.
• Transit arrangements for foreign national(s) in India. (as per attached SOP)
• Hotels, homestays, lodges and motels, which are accommodating tourists and persons stranded due to lockdown, medical and emergency staff, air and sea crew.
• Establishments used and earmarked for quarantine facilities.

IMPLEMENTATION OF LOCKDOWN ORDER

“Chief Secretaries and DGPs need to convene meetings with DCs and police officers at district level to strictly follow the lockdown directions in letter and spirit,” the Cabinet Secretary

Implementation will be with the accountability of government. The District egistrate will decide Executive Magistrates as Incident Commanders in various local jurisdictions. The Incident Commanders will make sure right implementation in his jurisdictions.

Video Credit: India Today

Line department officials will work in specified area under directions of incident commander. The Incident Commander will be responsible for issuing passes for all essential movements. The Incident Commanders will make sure uninterrupted mobilization of resources, workers and material for augmentation and expansion of hospital infrastructure.

LEGAL ACTION AGAINST VIOLATORS

Any person violating these containment measures will be liable to be prosecuted as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides Sec. 188 of IPC. The punishment is mainly for obstruction, etc. – Whoever, without reasonable cause, false claim, misappropriation of money or materials, false warning, offences by departments of the government, failure of an officer in duty or his connivance at the contravention of the provisions of this Act, penalty for contravention of any order regarding requisitioning, offence by companies, previous sanction for prosecution, cognizance of offences.