Lockdown till May 3: The Ministry of Home Affairs issued fresh guidelines for the extended lockdown that was announced by the Prime Minister yesterday in a video message to the nation. PM Modi who announced that the lockdown will be extended till May 3 had talked about focussing on hotspot areas. In his speech he had said that there is a need to be more vigilant about hotspots and that it must be constantly observed for any changes. He said, “The emergence of any new hotspots will be a challenge to our hard work and perseverance.” Based on the announcement yesterday, the Ministry’s guidelines today have specific points on Hotspot areas.
  • Firstly, the Ministry defined hotspot as ‘areas of large COVID-19 outbreaks, or clusters with a significant spread of COVID-19, will be determined as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India (Gol). ‘
  • Containment zones in these areas will be demarcated by state, UT and district administration. No activity will be allowed within the containment zone. According to the guidelines, ‘There shall be strict perimeter control in the area of the containment zones to ensure that there is no unchecked inward/outward movement of population from these zone except for maintaining essential services (including medical emergencies and law and order related duties ) and government business continuity.’
  • All guidelines by the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs will be implemented in these areas by authorities in every state and Union Territory and local district authorities.
The total confirmed cases in India have risen to over 10,000 and Delhi and Maharashtra have become hotspot areas in the country. The state government has sealed several places within the state to control the spread of the virus. The PM had also said yesterday that every district, town, city, and state will be closely monitored till April 20 to assess how the lockdown is being adhered to. Those places that pass the litmus test and are successful in preventing changes in and development of new hotspots may get a conditional reprieve by 20th April and important activities will be allowed.