Lockdown 3.0: What all is allowed in the green zone and what isn’t

HIGHLIGHTS

• Buses can ply with 50 per cent capacity in green zones
• Liquor shops to open except in shopping complexes and containment zones
• State government may impose additional restrictions based on local assessment

The Centre on Friday extended the coronavirus lockdown by two more weeks. The lockdown was to end on May 3. But the third edition of nationwide lockdown will be different from the previous ones in character. More activities are allowed in the new lockdown guidelines.

The notification issued by the Union home ministry talks about dividing the areas into three zones: red (hotspot), orange (low risk) and green zones (no active case). This is based on the on the risks profiling of the districts of the country.

Green zones are the districts with either zero confirmed cases till date or, no confirmed case in the last 21 days.

Here is what all is permitted in the green zones and what is not:

1. All activities are permitted except those prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zonal division. Buses can operate with up to 50 percent seating capacity and bus depots can operate with up to 50 percent capacity.
2. All goods traffic is permitted. No state/ UT shall stop the movement of cargo for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighboring countries.
3. No separate pass of any sort is needed for such movement, which is essential for maintaining the supply chain of goods and services across the country during the lockdown period.
4. Air, rail, sea, and metro train services are not allowed. These services are not allowed in any of the zones.
5. E-commerce is allowed in non-essential items in the green zone and also in orange zones.
6. Sale of liquor has been allowed in all zones. However, if the shops are located in malls, marketing complexes, and in containment areas, they cannot open
7. “Shops selling liquor, paan, gutka, tobacco, etc. in public places will ensure minimum six feet distance (2 gaz ki doori) from each other, and also that not more than 5 persons are present at one time at the shop,” reads the government order.
8. In all zones, a person above 65 years, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below 10 years shall stay at home.
9. OPDs and medical clinics shall be permitted to operate in red, orange, and green zones with all social distancing norms.
10. The states/ UTs can allow only to select activities from a list of permitted activities and impose additional restrictions based on their assessment of the situation. The primary objective, the Centre’s notification says, is to keep the spread of Covid-19 in check.
11. School, college, institutions, hospitality services, including hotels and restaurants, place of the large gathering, such as cinema halls, malls, gym, sports complex, social, political, cultural and all kind of gathering, religious place/place of worship for public remain closed during lockdown 3.0.
12. Movement of stranded foreign nationals, persons released from quarantine, stranded migrant workers and students, pilgrims, tourists, and other such persons is to be facilitated following the Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) issued by Union home ministry.