LOCKDOWN – in Delhi, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Bihar, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Nagaland, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Sikkim & Himachal Pradesh.

Punjab announces daily lockdown as Covid cases spiral.

In a bid to tackle the coronavirus spread, the Punjab government has ordered the closure of shops by 5 pm and extended the night curfew by two hours.

“All shops will remain open till 5 pm,” said Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar addressing mediapersons after a cabinet meeting on Monday.

He said the night curfew will now be imposed from 6 pm in the state. Presently, the curfew restrictions remain in place from 8 pm to 5 am daily.

“Due to continuous and rapid rise of Covid-19 cases in Punjab, the cabinet today has decided to impose daily lockdown from 6 PM to 5 AM and weekend lockdown from Friday 6 PM to Monday 5 AM. Urge you all to stay at home and step out only if absolutely necessary. Seek your full cooperation,” Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted.

MAHARASHTRA – State may extend lockdown-like curbs, says minister.

State relief and rehab minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that the state may extend lockdown-like restrictions further. The decision will be taken in the cabinet meeting scheduled on Wednesday.

Tricity lockdown in the works.

CHANDIGARH: Days after deciding not to impose weekly or a longer period lockdown in the city, the UT administration is considering to take Mohali and Panchkula district administration on board and go in for a Tricity lockdown.

With the cases regularly crossing the figure of 2,000 in the three cities, officials believe a lockdown is necessary to break the chain and that too in the Tricity if there is to be an impact.

Sources said UT officials are in touch with their counterparts in Punjab and Haryana. This time the officials are not sending official letters but discussing the matter over phone, sources added.

A senior UT official said they believe lockdown is must to break the chain. “It will also give time to make some arrangements in the battle against Covid-19. There will be no impact if two cities impose lockdown and third decide against it. So, were are trying to convince both Punjab and Haryana for a collective decision,” he added

A senior UT official said they believe lockdown is must to break the chain. “It will also give time to make some arrangements in the battle against Covid-19. There will be no impact if two cities impose lockdown and third decide against it. So, were are trying to convince both Punjab and Haryana for a collective decision,” he added.

150 districts with over 15% positivity rate may go under lockdown.

A proposal has been drawn up for a lockdown, with exemptions for a set of defined essential services, in around 150 districts with Covid-19 positivity rate of over 15% as health systems in these areas are seen to be under stress due to the pandemic.

The measures were recommended by the Union health ministry at a high-level meeting on Tuesday but a final decision will be taken by the Centre in consultation with state governments. The proposal may be further refined, but the urgent need to tackle the spread in high caseload-high positivity districts was underlined by the ministry.
“Our analysis suggests stringent lockdown measures in districts with very high positivity rate are essential to break the chain of transmission over the next few weeks,” a senior official told TOI.

The active caseload has been increasing consistently since mid-March and reached 28.8 lakh cases on Monday. Eight states — Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu — have more than 1 lakh active cases each and together account for 69% of the total caseload.

Officials in the health ministry expressed concern over rising positivity in certain states during the second wave of the pandemic, resulting in burdened health systems. The Centre has already advised states to limit unnecessary movement.

‘With folded hands, we request you…’: Allahabad HC again urges UP govt to impose 14-day lockdown.

The high court’s request comes nearly a week after the Supreme Court stayed the Allahabad High Court’s order directing lockdown in five cities of the state amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Allahabad High Court once again urged the Uttar Pradesh government to impose a lockdown in the state for two weeks to contain the sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

Hearing a suo moto case on the COVID situation in Uttar Pradesh, a bench led by Justice Siddhart Varma said, “I again request, if things are not in control then impose a two-week lockdown. Please suggest it to your policy makers. It is blowing out of proportion, that is the first thing it seems.”

“There is a shortage of doctors, there is a shortage of staff, oxygen, there is no L1, L2. Everything is good on paper, but the fact is that there is shortage. With folded hands, we request you to exercise your discretion,” added Justice Varma.

This is the second time when the high court requested the UP government to consider imposing a complete lockdown in the most affected districts.

The high court’s request comes nearly a week after the Supreme Court stayed the Allahabad High Court’s order directing lockdown in five cities of the state amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The HC had earlier directed the Uttar Pradesh government to impose strict restrictions including the closing of malls, shopping complexes and restaurants in five cities — Allahabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Nagar and Gorakhpur.

However, a top court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde stayed the order after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Uttar Pradesh, told it that the state government has taken several steps to contain the spread of coronavirus but to lockdown five cities by a judicial order may not be the right approach.

Last week, the Uttar Pradesh government announced to impose a weekend curfew from Friday evening to Monday morning in the entire state till further orders.

It also decided to continue with the night-long curfew on weekdays throughout the state.

Puducherry govt extends Corona restrictions till May 3.

Gathering/congregation in any form “strictly” prohibited and all liquor shops to remain closed till the said date.

Haryana : Section 144 to be Imposed Across The State, No Cap on Essential Services.

Looking at the rising cases of coronavirus, the Haryana government has decided to impose prohibitory orders throughout the state. Section 144 of the CrPC prohibits the assembly of four or more people and earlier it was imposed in a few districts in the state, including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Hisar, Panchkula and Sonipat. “Section 144 to be imposed throughout Haryana,” said a state government statement quoting Home and Health Minister Anil Vij.

The lockdown-like restrictions which are already in place to contain the spread of infection include daily night curfew in the state, curtailed timings for closure of shops, barring those dealing in essentials, besides restrictions on the number of people allowed for indoor and outdoor gatherings.

Vij sought by Thursday details from all deputy commissioners regarding oxygen beds, oxygen storage capacity and other requirements, including ventilators in all private and government hospitals of their districts.

The minister has also directed the DCs to ensure arrangements for funeral to be conducted on the same day for those who lose their lives to coronavirus while observing all COVID-related protocol.

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may 3 – 23
national lockdown

Goa announces lockdown till 3 May.

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday announced lockdown in the Union Territory from 7 pm on 29 April till 3 May. “Essential services and industrial activities will be allowed, no public transport to be allowed. Casinos, hotels, pubs will remain shut. Borders to remain open for essential service transportation,” said Sawant.

Jharkhand – Lockdown extended till 6th May ( Confirmed by CM )
Maharashtra – Lockdown extended by 15 days ( As per reports )

Maharashtra: Tough curbs to remain in place till May 15.

The lockdown-like curbs in place in Maharashtra have been extended till May 15 amid the COVID-19 crisis, the state Cabinet took the decision on Wednesday (April 28).

On April 21, the Maharashtra Government had imposed more strict restrictions in the state under the ‘Break the Chain’ campaign. The new restrictions will stay in force from 8 am on Thursday to 7 am on May 1. Under the new orders, all government offices (centre, state, local administrative), except emergency services related to the coronavirus pandemic, will open with only 15 percent attendance.

It may be noted that the official notification from the government did not use the word ‘lockdown’ as had been the general expectation.

Restrictions will also be imposed on weddings and only 25 people will be able to attend the ceremony. Under the new restrictions, the wedding ceremony will have to be arranged in a single hall and should be completed in two hours as a single event. A fine of Rs 50,000 will be imposed for violating the rules.

Private vehicles (except buses) will be able to run only for urgent or emergency services, with 50 percent capacity of seating capacity. This journey can only take place in the same city. The government has also disallowed travelling from one district to another or from one city to another. Only in certain cases, like a funeral or medical emergencies, people will be allowed to travel from one city or district to another. Private buses can run with 50 percent capacity.

The use of local trains has been also been restricted.

The Jharkhand government has extended the ongoing lockdown by another week till May 6 along with more restrictions on the movement of people and operation of markets.

Chief minister Hemant Soren, who made the announcement on Wednesday while inaugurating a 40- bed Covid hospital on Ratu Road, said, “Considering the Covid-19 situation, we have decided to extend the ‘health safety week’ by another week. So, the lockdown will now continue till May 6. A detailed order about the dos and donts will follow later in the day. But broadly it has been decided to cut down timings of markets.”

Until now shops and other trade establishments that did not come under the purview of the lockdown were allowed to function till 8pm, except medical services and pharmacies. A few key sectors like agriculture, mining, construction etc were also allowed to function during Phase 1 of the health safety week. All religious places were allowed to stay open but entry of devotees was banned.

“Now, everything except some basic essential services will be functional only till 2pm. We will provide a one-hour window till 3pm for movement of people to their homes,” he explained.

Movement of people associated with essential services—mainly healtcare and medical — will be allowed provided people carry legitimate prescriptions or other documents, sources said. They clarified that all kinds of shops, selling grocery, vegetables and liquor, will also be closed after 2pm.

Hemant convened a meeting of the state disaster management authority around noon on Wednesday after which it was decided to extend the ongoing health safety week scheduled to end on Thursday., 29 April.

Maharashtra lockdown extended till May 15: Latest updates on Mumbai local train services.

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday (April 28) extended the lockdown-like curbs in the state till May 15 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Earlier, the restriction were to be in place till 7 am of May 1 to break the chain of the Coronavirus transmission.

The use of local trains has been also been restricted. Earlier on April 21, when the restrictions were announced, the Western Railways had tweeted, “The railways will limit the number of entry and exit points at stations in Mumbai to prevent unauthorised people from travelling in local trains, as Maharashtra government’s new Covid-19 curbs come into force.”

Among those who are allowed are government personnel (state/central/local) and all medical personnel (doctors/paramedics/lab technicians/hospital and medical clinic staff etc).

Tickets or passes will be given to them on the basis of a government-issued identity card or a card issued by the concerned medical organization.

Further, any persons needing medical treatment or specially-abled persons and one person accompanying the needy may avail public transport.

In Mumbai, 1200 passengers can travel in 12 coaches of local trains. According to the new guidelines, no passenger will be allowed to travel in the standing position, but during the rush hours in the morning, the trains are often filled with passengers more than their capacity and social distancing norms often go for a toss.

The state government also imposed stricter curbs for inter-city or inter-district travel by long-distance trains and buses.

- At the stoppages where passengers are alighting, all passengers shall be stamped on the hand for 14 days home quarantine.

- It is the duty of local railway officers/MSRTC officers to provide all the information that the local Disaster Management Authority may require for screening the people travelling by these trains.

Full Lockdown in Uttar Pradesh from April 30, Friday 8 PM to May 4, Tuesday 7 AM: New Restrictions Announced:

Amid surging coronavirus cases, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday announced complete lockdown in the state from Friday (April 30) evening till Tuesday (May 4) morning.

Weekend lockdowns were earlier imposed from Friday 8 AM to Monday 7 AM to curb COVID-19 cases. However, such complete lockdown will not remain in force in the state from Friday 8 AM to Tuesday 7 AM.

“Lockdown in the state will now remain imposed from Friday 8 PM to 7 AM on Tuesdays. The decision has been taken in the wake of COVID-19 situation,”

The government said that that all markets, private and public offices will be closed from Friday 8 PM to Tuesday 7 AM till further orders.

Markets, shopping malls, and restaurants will also be closed. The government has advised people to remain indoors and only those involved in essential services will be exempted from the restrictions. Pharmacy shops, hospitals, and other essential services will be available during the lockdown. Religious places will also remain shut.

Weekend curfew in Leh: Air, highway travel allowed.

The Leh district administration on Thursday imposed a weekend curfew across the district from Friday 9pm till 5am on Monday, May 3, with a view to arresting the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

A notification issued by Leh deputy commissioner Shrikant Balasaheb Suse, those arriving or leaving by air will be allowed to commute from or to the Leh airport on the basis of boarding pass or tickets.

Road traffic, including freight carriers, from outside the district will be allowed but travellers or freight operators will have to show proof and observe Covid protocols. The movement of pertinent administration officials and people providing essential services will also be allowed on the basis of valid I-Cards.

The rise in Covid-positive cases coincides with the influx of a large number of people from outside the union territory following the restoration of road connectivity earlier this month. Labourers contracted for border roads and other infrastructure projects make up the bulk of the people coming in. In addition, thousands of truck drivers and cleaners are also coming in as the pace of supplies grows.

Many Ladakh residents working or studying outside are also returning home as major cities in states, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, impose lockdowns. However, the flow of tourists has come down to a trickle – both by air and road — after showing an uptick in early March.

The administration recently decided to block the entry of migrant labourers without a negative RT-PCR report. This was done after an increased positivity rate among them. RT-PCR test report was made mandatory for tourists much earlier. Those coming without a test report are being tested at the point of entry and have to quarantine till their report comes negative. Covid checkpoints and quarantine facilities have been created at Upshi on the Manali road and Khaltse on the Srinagar highway to screen those coming by road.

Consider lockdown ‘like last year’ to curb Covid-19 spread: HC to Maharashtra govt.

The Bombay high court on Thursday told the state government to consider imposing at least for 15 days a “lockdown like last year” to curb the spread of Covid-19. “We are not issuing a mandamus (direction). Do you think that the (present) restrictions are working? That only people with urgent business are on the roads? People are out without reason. At least for 15 days, if people stay indoors, we may expect better results,’’ said a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni. They asked advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to “please advise your government.”

The court heard three public interest litigation on shortages of Remdesivir, beds and oxygen for Covid19 patients. Citing the death of music composer Shravan Rathod due to Covid-19, advocate Rajesh Inamdar said there must be detailed tracing of those returning from Kumbh Mela and Bengal. The judges said those entering Maharashtra from neighbouring states must enter with their Covid-19 test reports. Inamdar said it is not strictly followed. The CJ said all the judges who recently went to Goa for a conclave got themselves tested at the airport. “It is up to an individual concerned as to what extent he cares for his fellowmen.. Show kindness to your fellow men,” he added. He also asked, “Is it not the duty of a person to get himself tested. If we are careless, we’ll face it. We are careless people.”

The judges said people are blaming the authorities but they are failing in their duty. “You can start oxygen manufacturing plants and production of Remdesivir can be increased. But can you get overnight more doctors and nursing staff? They are also limited,’’ said Justice Kulkarni. The judges said people don’t take care and then hunt for medicines, beds and oxygen. “You are waiting for a third wave to come?” said Justice Kulkarni, adding that people wanted Kumbh Mela, marriages etc to take place.

Referring to the viral video where the West Tripura district magistrate stopped a wedding celebration, the CJ said, “We don’t appreciate it. The DM was too harsh but the marriage was continuing even after curfew set in. Marriages are going on till late at night.” The judges then suggested that a lockdown like last year be imposed “unless it is absolutely crucial for a person to move out.”

The judges also referred to the death of an octogenarian from Nagpur who gave up his hospital bed for a younger Covid-19 patient. They said on social media people of the nation are saluting his sacrifice. “But what about a reflection on your (State’s) health care system? Had we woken up earlier, we could save this gentleman also.” The judges said many directions were passed in June 2020 in a PIL regarding Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra. “Caution was sounded long ago. Had we been more vigilant we would have avoided this situation. Our collective failure has brought us here,’’ said the CJ.

Referring to queues at vaccination centres, the judges said time slots should be given so that all the people do not flock at the same time to take the vaccine. Advocate Arshil Shah said since 4 days he has been unable to get his mother vaccinated. “Till July no slots are available,’’ he said. The judges also batted for giving elderly Parsis priority in vaccination. “Very many are on the higher side of 70 plus. Save them also. They may not be in a position to go to vaccination centres,’’ said the CJ. The AG said Serum Institute of India’s CEO Adar Poonawala has said he will keep aside some quota for his community. Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, for BMC, said, “Parsis have said they will wait for their turn. “We don’t want special quota for ourselves.” The judges will next hear the PILs on May 4.

No Nationwide Lockdown: Centre Asks States to Implement Containment Measures Till May 31

In the wake of the rising cases of coronavirus, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday night issued fresh guidelines to all the states and UTs and asked them to strictly implement containment measures across districts with a high number of COVID-19 cases to check the spread of the viral disease. The Issuance of the guidelines has also ruled out nationwide lockdown as the MHA did not mention anything about the imposition of a nationwide lockdown anywhere in the country in the fresh guidelines issued in view of the pandemic for May.

In its guidelines, the Home Ministry asked the states to take necessary action to ensure sufficient oxygen-supported beds, ICU beds, ventilators, ambulances, including the creation of makeshift hospitals.

In the guidelines, the MHA asked the states to identify the districts where either the COVID positivity rate was more than 10 per cent or the bed occupancy was over 60 per cent in the last one week. The districts fulfilling any of the above two criteria should be considered for intensive and local containment measures.

The national directives for COVID-19 management shall continue to be strictly followed throughout the country and the MHA order shall be effective till May 31.

As per the guidelines from the Centre, the movement of individuals shall be strictly prohibited during the night hours, except for essential activities, in areas where the number of cases is high.

Social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious, festival related and other gatherings and congregations have been prohibited. Marriages will be attended by up to 50 people and funerals by up to 20.

Shopping complexes, cinema halls, restaurants, bars, sports complexes, gymnasiums, spas, swimming pools and religious places will remain closed.

Essential services and activities such as healthcare services, police, fire, banks, electricity, water and sanitation, regulated movement of public transport including all incidental services and activities needed for a smooth functioning of these activities shall continue. Such services shall continue in both the public and the private sector.

Telangana – Night curfew has been extended by seven more days till 5 a.m. on May 8 across the State.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar has issued orders to this effect on Friday, the last day of the night curfew imposed on April 20. Night curfew will be in force from 9 pm to 5 am and it is mandatory for all the offices, firms, shops, establishments, restaurants and others to close down by 8 pm during the night curfew days.

Hospitals, diagnostic labs, pharmacies and those dealing with supply of essential services have been exempt from the restrictions. Public transport services including autos and taxis would be allowed to function within the stipulated time for transportation of the categories of persons like patients and pregnant women during night curfew.

With an increasing number of people testing positive to Coronavirus (Covid-19), the State Government has imposed night curfew 10 days ago. The restrictions had been extended by another week owing to the steep escalation in the number of positive cases as also the number of daily deaths which crossed 50 since the past one week.

The Chief Secretary directed all the collectors and district magistrates, commissioners/superintendents of police to strictly implement night curfew.

Haryana imposes weekend lockdown in Gurugram, Faridabad, 7 other districts.

The Haryana government on Friday imposed weekend lockdown in Panchkula, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Rohtak, Karnal, Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad districts. The weekend lockdown will start from April 30, Friday 10 pm and will remain effective till 5 am on May 3, Monday.

“No person shall leave their homes or shall move on foot or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam around on any road or public places during the above said hours,” stated the order.
Movement of essential services like law and order/emergencies and municipal services, media persons with accreditation and government machinery tasked with Covid-19 related work will be allowed.
Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment etc will also be allowed.

WHO ARE EXEMPTED?

The movement of following persons and services shall be exempted:

Those tasked with law and order/emergencies and municipal services/duties including executive magistrates, police personnel, military/ CAPF personnel in uniform, health, electricity, fire, media persons with accreditation, government machinery tasked with Covid-19 related (all on production of Identity Card).

Movement for appearing in examination and those on examination duties on production of admit/ identity cards.
There shall be no curbs on those engaged in manufacture of essential goods.

There shall be no curbs on movement (inter-State and intra-State) of essential and non-essential goods. All vehicles/persons in bonafide transit (inter-State/intra-State) shall be allowed to pass, but only after verification of point of origin and destination.

Hospitals, veterinary hospitals and all related medical establishments, including their manufacturing and distribution units, both in public and private sector, such as dispensaries, chemist, pharmacies (including Jan Aushadhi Kendra) and medical equipment shops, laboratories, pharmaceutical research labs, clinics, nursing homes, ambulance etc. will continue to remain functional. The transportation for all medical personnel, nurses, para-medical other hospital support services be permitted.

Commercial and private establishments.

(i) Telecommunications, internet services, broadcasting and cable services. IT and IT enabled Services.
(ii) Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical
equipment etc through E-commerce.
(iii) Petrol pumps, LPG, petroleum and gas retail and storage outlets.
(iv) Power generation, transmission and distribution units and services.
(v) Cold storage and warehousing services.
(vi) Private security services.
(vii) Farming operations by farmers and farm workers in the field.

Arunachal Pradesh: Night curfew in Itanagar Capital Region from May 1.

In a bid to contain the spread of Covid19 in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), the district administration has announced to impose a night curfew from May 1.

The restrictions will come into effect at 9 pm daily and will remain in place till 5 am until further orders.

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Partial lockdown in West Bengal with immediate effect.

The West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee on Friday (April 30) announced restrictions on the state for an indefinite period of time. As per the notification released by the government, all shopping malls, cinema halls, restaurants and bars, sports complexes, gyms, spas, beauty parlours and swimming pools will remain closed until further notice.

Announcing restrictions on all religious, social, cultural, academic and entertainment-related gatherings in the state, the West Bengal government announced that markets for essential items buying will remain open from 7-10 am and 3-5 pm. However, home deliveries will be permitted.

Essential services like medical shops, medical equipment shops, grocery, etc will remain outside the confines of the embargo.

All activities related to electoral counting processes and victory rallies/processions will be guided by guidelines already issued by the Election Commission of India, while unnecessary congregations in the neighbourhoods of counting halls will also be discouraged and restricted and will have to abide by the physical distancing norms and other COVID appropriate behaviours. It has to be ensured that crowding/lottering near the counting venue is averted.

Any violation of these orders will be liable to be processed against as per provisions of the DM Act, 2005 and besides, legal action under IPC and other laws of the land will be applicable.

The order will take immediate effect, said the notification.

Tripura extends night curfew in Agartala till May 31

The night curfew across Agartala Municipal Corporation area will begin from May 1, Saturday. The curfew timings are 10 pm to 5 am. Earlier the night curfew was imposed from April 22 to April 30.

However, medical and other emergency needs and persons to maintain essential services like health, police, security, power supply, drinking water supply, media etc shall remain exempted from the curfew guidelines.

Nagaland: Partial lockdown from April 30 to May 14.

Amid, the surge in Covid cases across the country, Nagaland cabinet decided to impose partial lockdown with stricter rules in the state from April 30 to May 14.

• During the partial lockdown schools, colleges, educational institutions and hostels will remain closed in the state.

• Online education will be permitted and encouraged.

• All cinema halls, swimming pools, gymnasiums,
  entertainment parks, auditoriums, sports complexes, stadiums and similar places will remain closed throughout the period.

• Public gatherings will be permitted outside the containment zones, but they will not be more than 30 per cent of the total capacity of the venue or a maximum hundred people, whichever is lower.

• Places of worship will be permitted to open outside the containment zones, with 30 per cent of the maximum capacity of the venues.

• Such gatherings should strictly adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, social distancing, and regular washing of hands.

Delhi govt likely to extend lockdown by one more week till May 10.

In view of the current COVID-19 situation, the Delhi government will likely be extending the ongoing lockdown by one more week, till May 10, 2021, ending at 5 am, CNBC-TV18 reported. During this time, the existing COVID-19 guidelines will continue, the Delhi government announced on May 1. The current coronavirus lockdown in Delhi was supposed to end at 5 am on May 3.

Lockdown in Delhi extended by a week, till May 10.

In view of the Covid situation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that lockdown in the national capital is being extended by one week. The current lockdown was to end on Monday (May 3), however, it has been further extended for one more week. This is the second time in 2021 when lockdown has been extended to contain the spread of the virus. The restrictions in Delhi were first placed on April 19.

Lockdown Extended in Rajasthan Till May 17 – The restrictions, which were imposed from April 19 to to May 3, were extended for 15 days.

The Ashok Gehlot-led Rajashthan government has extended the lockdown till May 17 since the number of coronavirus cases are rising exponentially. The restrictions, which were imposed from April 19 to to May 3, were extended for 15 days. The Home Department principal secretary issued the order, calling it ‘Pandemic Red Alert- Public Discipline Fortnight’.

• All workplaces, except a few government offices engaged in COVID management, and markets would remain closed.

• Retail and wholesale shops of grocery, flour mills, cattle feed will remain open for five hours from 6 am to 11 am on weekdays.

• Dairy shops would operate daily from 6 am to 11 am and from 5 pm to 7 pm.

• Wholesale markets, vegetable and fruit shops, garland vendors will continue to operate daily from 6 am to 11 am.

• Vendors who sell fruits and vegetables on pull carts, e-rickshaws and others would also be allowed from 6 am to 11 am daily.

• Optical shops will also be allowed to open on Tuesday and Friday from 6 am to 11 am.

• Only 31 people will be allowed in marriage ceremonies and the wedding functions will be allowed for only three hours.

• If anyone who is not under exempted category is found roaming, that person will be shifted to institutional quarantine facility till the RTPCR report is negative

Haryana Lockdown: Govt Says Pregnant Women, Disable Employees Won’t be Called to Work.

As per the fresh order, the state government said if needed, those employees can work from home provided they have the necessary infrastructure. This exemption will remain in force till further orders.

A day after imposing weekend lockdown in several districts, the Haryana government on Saturday issued a fresh order saying employees with severe disabilities, vulnerable persons and pregnant women shall not be called for duty, even if they are engaged in essential services.

As per the fresh order, the state government said if needed, they can work from home provided they have the necessary infrastructure. This exemption will remain in force till further orders.

On Friday, the Haryana government announced Gurugram as one of the nine districts across the state to be put under a weekend lockdown till Monday. The other districts include Panchkula, Faridabad, Sonipat, Rohtak, Karnal, Hisar, Sirsa, and Fatehabad.

Employees of the age of 50 years or above, and those suffering from hypertension, blood pressure, heart or lung disease, cancer and other chronic diseases that are at high risk of developing a serious illness shall not be exposed to any frontline work requiring direct contact with the public, it said.

Centre’s Covid-19 Task Force Members and AIIMS Chief Push for National Lockdown.

Rigorous national lockdown seems to be the only way to break the chain of the devastating second wave of coronavirus in the country. Experts, both in the national covid-19 task force and otherwise, have rooted for it.

According to an exclusive report by The Indian Express, some members of the Covid-19 task force, a technical expert body that advises the Central Government, are “pushing hard” for a national lockdown.

With the caseload increasing and India reporting more deaths than ever, the covid-19 task force members have been suggesting for a national lockdown lasting two weeks. India on Saturday reported an unprecedented 4.01 lakh Covid-19 cases and 3,523 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The task force includes experts from AIIMS and ICMR, and has met many times during the recent surge. The deliberations of these experts are of significance since the chairperson of the task force, V K Paul, reports to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on April 20, had said that all efforts should be made to avoid a lockdown which should be used only as the “last resort.”

India has been battling with a shortage of oxygen and hospital beds as number of positive ocvid-19 cases keep spiking with every passing day.

In an exclusive conversation with News18, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria said that India’s health infrastructure is “stretched to the limit" and “aggressive lockdowns" – like the one imposed in March last year – in areas with positivity rates over 10 per cent are needed to contain the second COVID-19 wave

Guleria said night curfews and weekend lockdowns – such as those enforced by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and other states – were proving to be ineffectual.

Several states in the country are already in some form of lockdown mode. In most states, places where people gather — shopping malls, gyms, cinema halls, etc, — are shut and there are restrictions on the number of people who can assemble for marriages, funerals, etc.

Odisha Government announces a 14-day lockdown from May 5th to May 19th.

The Odisha government on Sunday announced a 14-day lockdown in the state as cases continue to rise sharply. The lockdown will remain in force with effect from May 5 till May 19, 2021, an official order informed on Sunday.

During the lockdown period, the persons can walk 500 meters between 7am and 12pm to buy vegetables. There are no restrictions on health care or other emergency services.

- The Lockdown and Weekend Shutdown shall not be applicable to the election-related works such as movement of election-related personnel from their place of residence to the place of training, disbursal, polling station and back, movement of election materials, movement of magistrates, election supervising officials and law & order personnel, candidates, authorized personnel including polling & counting agents and voters on the date of poll and conduct of poll and counting of votes, in respect of bye-election to the 110-Pipili Assembly Constituency.

- The lockdown is primarily aimed at restricting the movement of persons. The movement of goods and goods carriers shall not be affected during the lockdown.