E-Commerce Platforms Will Be Back in Business From April 20

The new guidelines state that all goods' traffic will be allowed to ply across the country, except the demarcated containment zones, hotspots or red zones where the spread of infection or the risk, is high.

(Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

New Delhi: India will remain under lockdown for another 19 days till May 3 after the government decided to extend the 21-day lockdown on Tuesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued detailed guidelines regarding services that will  remain operational and those not. As per the new guidelines soon the e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart will now be operational. The new guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India come into effect on April 20, which allows additional activities subject to operationalization by the states and union territories. These guidelines come at a time when the lockdown in India has been extended to May 3, to curb the spread of the Coronavirus or COVID-19. The new guidelines state that all goods' traffic will be allowed to ply across the country, except the demarcated containment zones, hotspots or red zones where the spread of infection or the risk, is high. This includes operations of railways for transportation of goods and parcels, operations at airports and land ports for cargo movement as well as the movement of trucks and commercial vehicles for pick-up and delivery of goods. Also, the new guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs say that “vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions” and courier services will also be allowed to operate. Essential goods remain in focus, and the government clarifies that “all facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.” It is anticipated that with the new relaxed guidelines in place, shopping websites and e-commerce platforms will be able to deliver and fulfill customer orders now. In the early days of the first phase of the lockdown, there were reports that e-commerce companies and their delivery personnel were often restrained from moving around, which hampered services and delivery of essentials to customers. Also Watch| Lockdown 2.0: Things that may be permitted after April 20