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States in India give more relaxations in lockdown curbs as the country shows a steady decline in Covid-19 daily new cases. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), there are now 798656 active cases across the country.

New Delhi: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal issued a new guideline giving more relaxations in lockdown curbs in the national capital. Delhi has allowed numerous activities to restart, such as offices, markets, malls, and Delhi Metro. However, many establishments will continue to remain shut as per the Delhi Disaster Management Authority guidelines. With the positivity rate remaining under 0.5 percent for the past few days, more places are expected to reopen in the coming week.

  1. Construction & factories were the first sectors to reopen in Delhi.
  2. All markets have been allowed to reopen on an odd-even basis. Under this norm, half of the shops will open on one day, and the other half on the other, between 10 am and 8 pm.
  3. Private establishments have been allowed to reopen with a cap of 50 percent and authority letters and identity cards are to be produced to be able to travel to and from the office. Offices have also been asked to stagger their timings if possible. Government offices will function with 100 percent strength of Grade-I officers. For the remaining staff, 50 percent of the staff will be called in.
  4. The Delhi Metro, which was shut on May 10, has been reopened and is allowed to function on a 50 percent passenger capacity.

Rajasthan: The state govt released the revised guideline, giving more relaxations in lockdown curbs of three-level public discipline Lockdown 2.0. According to the guidelines issued by the state Home Department, the lockdown restrictions have been further increased from 5 am on Wednesday, June 16. At the same time, the public discipline weekend curfew will continue from 5 pm on Saturday evening to 5 am on Monday.

  1. The permitted markets/business establishments will now be allowed to be opened from Monday to Saturday.
  2. Public discipline curfew every day from 5 pm to 5 am the next day.
  3. According to the new guidelines, in all such government / private offices, where the number of employees is less than 10, there will be 100 percent and in the offices where the number of employees is 10 or more than 10, operation with 50 percent capacity will be allowed.

Official Notification: https://covidinfo.rajasthan.gov.in/writereaddata/Advisory/06152021224234PMModified_lockdown_20_15062021.pdf

Maharashtra: The Maharashtra government has imposed COVID-related restrictions in the state in a phased manner from mid-April to break the chain of Covid cases. The lockdown has been extended in Maharashtra till June 15. However, the Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said certain relaxations in lockdown curbs and restrictions will be enforced depending on the number of the cases.

A 5-level unlock plan has been adopted by the state govt on the lockdown curbs. The Public Health Department of the state will analyze the positivity rate and medical situation on Thursday and based on these stats, the district management officials will implement the level of restrictions in their respective areas. In Mumbai, shops selling non-essential items, restaurants, and public places opened on Monday 7th June 2021 but malls, theatres, and multiplexes will continue to remain shut as these have been categorized under level 5 of the ‘unlock’ plan. Local trains will carry only essential workers. Buses are allowed to run full capacity, but passengers can’t travel standing to avoid crowding.

Criteria for the Levels

  • Level 1: case positivity rate less than 5% and occupancy of hospital beds less than 25%
  • Level 2: case positivity rate of 5% and occupancy of hospital beds less than 25-40%
  • Level 3: case positivity rate 5-10% and occupancy of hospital beds less than 40-60%
  • Level 4: case positivity rate 10-20% and occupancy of hospital beds less than 60-75%
  • Level 5: case positivity rate more than 20% and occupancy of hospital beds more than 75%

Different sets of restrictions have been assigned to each level of lockdown, level 5 being the strictest.

Tamil Nadu: Restrictions in the state have been relaxed in at least 27 districts. At the same time, the curbs continue to be enforced in 11 districts in Tamilnadu where the case number is higher. Restaurants, bakeries, tea shops, and public parks in the state have received permission to reopen. State-run liquor stores and salons will also resume operations starting Monday. Places of worship and tourist spots will continue to remain closed.

Karnataka: The state government has issued SOPs for the reopening of public parks and industrial units. Restrictions have been eased in all but 11 districts where the caseload is high.

Jammu and Kashmir: A decision has been taken to ease curbs in eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir – Shopian, Kulgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Poonch, Reasi, Ramban, and Doda. The decision was taken in light of the drop in total weekly new cases (per million) and positivity rate among other factors.

Haryana: In Haryana, the Covid-19 lockdown has been extended till June 21. While the state government has opted for an odd-even reopening of shops, gyms, sports complexes and stadia have also been permitted to reopen as long as they adhere to strict protocols.

Assam: Government employees in Assam who have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been asked to report to their respective offices from Monday onwards. A partial lockdown will continue to remain in force across the state of Assam.
Official Notification: https://covid19.assam.gov.in/covid_asm_advisory/new-timing-for-curfew-and-other-establishments-issued-across-the-state-dated-15-06-21/

Madhya Pradesh: The cap on the number of people allowed to attend a wedding in Madhya Pradesh has been revised. A total of 40 people can now attend a wedding in the state, said CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Reopening gyms in the state is also under consideration. A final decision in this regard is awaited.

Goa: The state government on Sunday extended the statewide curfew to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission till June 21. The positivity rate in the state now stands at 14 percent.

Punjab: Shops dealing in non-essential items will now be allowed to function in Punjab till 6 pm.

As India seems to a decline in cases of deadly Covid-19 second wave, health experts warn of a possible third wave. According to experts in Maharashtra, a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic could hit the state in a month or two if Covid-appropriate behavior is not followed. After which, the CM has ordered the senior medical officials and officers to ensure medicines and health equipment were available across the whole state in order to tackle any such situation.

Read more: International Flight Operations remain suspended till 30 June 2021: DGCA