The Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh governments, on Sunday, extended till June 30 the lockdown in the entire states, and announced easing of restrictions and phase-wise resumption of activities.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had on Saturday said 'Unlock-1' will be initiated in the country from June 8 under which the nationwide lockdown effectuated on March 25 will be relaxed to a great extent, including opening of shopping malls, restaurants and religious places, even as strict restrictions will remain in place till June 30 in the country.
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In Maharashtra, under the "Mission Begin Again", as per the revised guidelines issued on Sunday, all markets, market areas and shops, except malls, will be allowed to function from June 5 on odd-even basis.
While all private offices can operate with up to 10 per cent their employee strength as per the requirement from June 8 with others working from home.
This will exlude COVID-19 containment zones, the guidelines said.
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Outdoor physical activities like morning walks, cycling will be allowed. Self-employed persons like plumbers, electricians, pest control staff and technicians will be allowed to work, but they will have to follow social distancing norms. Garages can also function and customers can visit them with prior appointment.
These activities will be permitted in the red zones of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including Mumbai, as well as Solapur, Pune, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati, Nagpur. However, such activities will not resume in COVID-19 containment zones, it said.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government, while extending the COVID-19 lockdown till June 30, said that the guidelines for relaxations in the state during this period will be as per the Centre’s advisory issued a day earlier.
In the first phase of relaxations, religious places, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls will reopen in the state from June 8. In the second phase, educational institutions will be allowed to re-open in July depending on the guidelines of the central government in this regard.
However, prohibition on entry of people from containment zones/hotspot areas in Delhi to Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad will remain.
Among the other guidelines, all government offices will operate with 100 per cent workforce. Staggered timings will be followed: 9 am to 5 pm, 10 am to 6 pm and 11 am to 7 pm to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Also, passes are not required any more for inter-state travel.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday extended the coronavirus lockdown until June 8 and said the Centre's new guidelines on some relaxations require a fresh assessment of the spread of COVID-19 in the Union Territory
(With PTI inputs)