Lockdown 4.0 in Assam: Chief Secretary Issues New Guidelines

Guwahati:

With the Centre opting to continue the ectended lockdown to curb the outbreak of the Covid-19, the Assam Government Monday released a new set of directives to be followed in the fourth phase.

Kumar Sanjay Krishna, the Chief Secretary of Assam, has released the new set of directives which will henceforth be observed across the state with "immediate effect".

Prohibitions and Restrictions are as follows:

Wearing of masks is mandatory in all public and work places.

Social distancing to be followed in public as well as in modes of transport.

Female employees, both private and public, with a child below 5 years of age, are not to attend work.

All domestic and international air travel of passengers except for medical services, air ambulance and security reasons is restricted.

People above 65 years of age, persons who co-morbid conditions, pregnant women and children below 10 are to stay at home except for emergencies.

Passenger movement by trains except for security reasons or for purposes allowed by the Home Ministry and the Assam Government will not be allowed.

Inter-state movement of buses will be allowed only after mutually agreed understanding between concerned states.

All schools, colleges, educational/training/coaching institutions are closed.

Hotels and other hospitality services will remain closed.

Cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly of halls and similar places shall remain closed.

50 persons for marriages and not more than 20 persons at funerals will be allowed with social distancing.

Religious places are closed and congregations are strictly prohibited.

Consumption of liquor, paan, gutkha, tobacco, etc in public places is not allowed and spitting in public places is punishable with a fine.

Shop owners are instructed to not allow more than 5 customers and maintain six feet distance among customers.

What is Allowed:

All the industries and their supply chain are now allowed to operate without any specific order and all persons working there in shifts will be allowed to commute to work as per shift timings.

Tea industries and workers are allowed to operate at all times.

Warehouses will now be allowed to operate at all times and personnel required for their operation will also be allowed to operate at all times.

All activities related to PDS operations, DCI warehouses, Railways, LPG and petroleum delivery services and workers and staff engaged therein are allowed to operate at all times.

E-commerce for all commodities is allowed and delivery of goods will be allowed till 7 PM.

All automobile dealerships and outlets are allowed to operate between 7 AM to 7 PM.

Supply chain related to essential food items like milk, fish and other perishables including workers therein are allowed to operate at all times.

Private offices located in buildings which house malls shall be allowed to operate, but shops will be kept closed.

Private medical clinics and OPDs and Veterinary OPDs shall be allowed to open.

All shops shall be allowed to operate till 6 PM. Market complexes and shopping malls, however, shall remain closed.

Auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and taxis shall operate with one driver and two passengers while maintaining social distancing.

Private vehicles are allowed, but only with a driver and two passengers.

For two-wheelers, pillion riding is allowed either with one female or one child upto the age of twelve years.

All construction works shall be allowed between 7 AM to 6 PM. However, all construction activities relation to highway construction and flood control work will be allowed at all times.

Bank employees are allowed to move beyond 7 PM, depending on 'necessity.'

Large standalone shops are allowed to operate with a limited number of entrants.

Media personnel are allowed to operate at all times.

City buses, intra-district and inter-district buses shall operate with 50% capacity.

All buses will operate under the authority of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and the buses will not be allowed to stop at the containment and buffer zones.

Government offices will function, but with staggered work hours for employees.

All the tea shops, restaurants, ice cream parlours, and cooked food outlets will be allowed to operate on takeaway or home delivery system till 7 PM. This includes grocery shops also.

Haats, Bazaars, and weekly markets shall remain closed throughout the State,

Barber shops, salons, and beauty parlous will remain closed; however, some visits will be allowed after following hygiene and sanitization.

Livestock-carrying vehicles, except those carrying pigs, shall be allowed to enter the state.

Sporting activities will be allowed without spectators and person-to-person contact.

Goods trucks will also be allowed in the containment zones.

Night Curfew:

The movement of individuals, the Chief Secretary said, shall remain prohibited from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am, except for essential activities.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Krishna has also the notified that only "essential services" will be allowed in the containment zones.'

Any person found violating the norms will be liable to be punished under the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC and other relevant provisions.

It is pertinent to mention here that the fourth phase of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown came into effect today. The lockdown was first imposed on March 25 by the Government in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but owing to the rising number of cases, it has been extended and is in its fourth phase now.