MHA New Guidelines: Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till August 31.
New Delhi: The third phase of "unlock" will ease more restrictions starting Saturday, including the night curfew and curbs on gyms, the government said on Wednesday, as the coronavirus pandemic showed little signs of slowing down in the country.
Here is what will be reopen and stay closed in Unlock 3:
- Restrictions on movement of individuals during night (night curfew) have been removed.
- Yoga institutes and gyms will be allowed to open from August 5, 2020. They will have to follow rules issued by the Health Ministry to ensure social distancing and other measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
- Independence Day functions will be allowed with social distancing and by following other health protocols.
- Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till August 31.
- Metro Rail, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places will remain closed.
- Social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural religious functions and other large congregations will be banned.
- Containment zones, identified by states or union territories, will remain under lockdown. Only essential activities will be allowed here.
- No restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of people and goods. No separate permission, approval, e-permit will be required for such movements, the government said.
The announcements on the unlock 3 by the Home Ministry come as the coronavirus epidemic still rages in the country, with the number of infections passing 15 lakh, and almost 35,000 deaths.
India has the third-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States and Brazil, although the official number of deaths is far lower.
Since a two-and-a-half month lockdown starting March, the government has lifted most restrictions to restart the struggling economy. But numerous states have had to reintroduce shutdowns amid local spikes in infections.