No Immediate Resumption of Trains & Flights, Masks to be Part of Life: Govt Strategy to Exit Lockdown 2.0

New Delhi: The Centre has not yet discussed the eventuality of extending the coronavirus lockdown post May 3 but relaxations in restrictions will be conditional, top government sources have told News18.

Sources said it was unlikely that train and flight services would be started soon after May 3 though permission could be granted for travel within the city.

Masks and social distancing are also going to become a way of life as the government may make masks compulsory for those wanting to step out of their homes.

There are also no relaxations planned yet for allowing gatherings during marriages and religious functions. Shops selling essentials will continue operations though social distancing norms will have to be followed.

Keen on arresting the spread of coronavirus, the government is also likely to evaluate at regular intervals the different zones in the country. The relaxations, if any, will be given to green zones while red zones will be defined according to containment areas.

Mumbai, Delhi, Noida and Indore are among the areas that will be in focus post May 3 as the number of cases in these cities rise.

The government, however, is of the opinion that a correct analysis of the situation in India can be done only after May 15.

India on Tuesday crossed the 18,000-mark in Covid-19 cases while the death toll rose to 590. To curb the spread of the pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world on March 24.

However, some restrictions were gradually relaxed from April 20 as the drastic measures have sent the economy into a tailspin and hit the poorest sections hard.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu became the fourth and fifth states on Monday to opt not to ease the lockdown restrictions till May 3 in line with the Centre’s guidelines to gradually reopen the country and reboot the economy starting Monday. Telangana, Punjab and Delhi had on Sunday announced they would not give any relaxations from the lockdown.

While the health ministry data suggests that the rate of new infections has tapered, experts have said it is hard to gauge much from the data as India has still only tested a limited proportion of its population, despite testing being expanded in the last fortnight.