New Delhi: The countrywide lockdown, which enters its fourth phase from tomorrow, is likely to see a lot of relaxation, sources indicate, particularly in terms of public transport. With a small number of passenger trains operating since last week, it is the aviation and road transport market, including the metro services, that are now expected to relax.
The instructions for the process, which is expected to last for two more weeks, will be released today, until May 31.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extensions last week, he said it would come in a "completely different shape," with new laws. "Corona is going to be with us for a long time but our lives can't revolve around it. We 're going to wear masks, we 're going to follow doh gaj doori (six-foot distance), but we're not going to let it break our goals," he stressed.
He had also asked states to apply their lockdown and gradual withdrawal trends — a move that set off speculation about a step forward in economic activity beginning. Sources suggest that the government is likely to require partial opening of malls and shopping centres, which could be odd-even.
Standalone shops have been running for more than two weeks, during the first phase of the shutdown a move forward was permitted compared with the shops selling critical commodities.
Metro travel is also likely to be permitted now, subject to strict social distancing laws.
Construction work in cities is expected to restart entirely — even in buffer areas.
The lockdown step 4 comes as the country crossed the 90,000-mark in cases of coronavirus, posting the highest single-day leap of 4,987 new patients, taking the number to 90,927. The number includes 2,872 dying patients and more than 34,000 recovered patients.
Four states – Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat – reporting the highest number of cases in India have recorded the greatest rise in COVID-19 counts over the past 24 hours.
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