Delhi to Open from May 4 with Restrictions

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Announces New Rules, Relaxations, within the limits of MHA guidelines, for Delhi in Lockdown 3.0 which will come into force from May 4. In Delhi, government and private offices will open with restricted attendance. Suspension of travel by flight, metro and bus will continue. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the Delhi government will implement the center’s latest guidelines on lockdown relaxation and allow government and private offices to open from Monday but the suspension of travel by flight, metro and bus will continue. The list of relaxations and rules for Lockdown 3.0 announced by Delhi government include:

• All government offices to become operational from tomorrow. Those involved in essential services will see 100 percent attendance.
• For non-essential government departments, only deputy secretary and 33 percent of staff will be allowed to report to work.
• Private offices can function with 33 percent of staff.
• Suspension of travel by flight, Delhi Metro, and the bus will continue in the national capital. Plying of cycle rickshaws and autorickshaws, running of taxis and cab aggregators, intra-district and inter-district plying of buses will remain shut.
• Schools, malls, gyms, and social, political, cultural, and sports gatherings will remain banned.
• Salon and barbershops will remain closed.
• No movement of people will be allowed from 7 pm to 7 am.
• Those aged above 65 years, pregnant women, those with pre-existing medical conditions, and children below the age of 10 shall continue to stay at home except for meeting essential requirements and for health purposes.
• Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and medical clinics shall be permitted to operate in Red, Orange and Green Zones, with social distancing norms and other safety precautions; however, these will not be permitted within the containment zones.
• Self-employed personnel is allowed to resume commercial activities.
• Connaught places, malls, and markets will remain closed barring shops selling essential goods.
• Stationary and standalone shops will be allowed to open.
• Print and electronic media, private security firms can open.
• Firms involved in the manufacturing and supply of essential goods will be allowed to open.
• I-T, hardware, and e-commerce firms will be allowed to provide essential services.
• Private vehicles carrying a driver and 2 rear passengers will be allowed to commute but only to access essential services.
• Wedding functions with 50 people will be allowed. Funerals allow 20 people.
• Industrial establishments in industrial areas/estates, SEZs, and EOUs with access control have been permitted.
• The other industrial activities permitted are manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain; manufacturing of IT hardware; jute industry with staggered shifts and social distancing manufacturing units of packaging material.
• In-situ construction (where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside) and construction of renewable energy projects is allowed.
• All standalone (single) shops, neighborhood (colony) shops, and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open without any distinction of essential and non-essential.
• Shops selling liquor, paan, gutka, tobacco, etc. are allowed to operate provided they are standalone (single) shops, neighborhood (colony) shops, or shops in residential complexes. These shops shall ensure a minimum 6 feet distance among customers and also ensure that not more than 5 persons are present at one time at the shop.
• All agriculture activities, e.g., sowing, harvesting, procurement, and marketing operations in the agricultural supply chain are permitted.
• A large part of the financial sector remains open, which includes banks, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), insurance and capital market activities, and credit co-operative societies.
• All goods traffic is to be permitted, which is essential for maintaining the supply chain of goods and services across the country during the lockdown period.

The chief minister also said that he will suggest the Centre declare only containment areas in the city as red zones and not the entire district. There are 96 containment zones in the national capital.