PM Modi embarks on his first visit to UK

The Centre on Sunday extended the COVID-19 lockdown for two more weeks till May 31 with more exemptions as the Centre allowed states more powers for profiling its zones, re-starting of inter-state and intra-state bus travel, plying of autos and taxis and opening of all shops, including in markets but barring those in malls.

Here are the answers to all your questions:

What is 'Lockdown 4.0'?

On March 24, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nation-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. India follows several countries in its measures to curb the pandemic, which was the first lockdown. Prime Minister then extended the coronavirus lockdown till May 3, which was dubbed as 'Lockdown 2.0'. This lockdown was further prolonged till May 17 which became 'Lockdown 3.0' and now, as the government aims at a staggered re-opening of the country while maintaining the norms such as social distancing, the fourth extension till May 31 is called 'Lockdown 4.0'.

Who issues the guidelines for the lockdown?

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues the guidelines for the lockdown.

Are guidelines different during a lockdown compared to normal life?

Well, of course. Guidelines during a lockdown instruct people on all matters from whether you are allowed to leave your house, to whether an MNC is allowed to function and with what percentage of attendance.

Are masks compulsory even now?

Masks are made mandatory in all public places, by the Union Health Ministry. All the states and UTs are to strictly abide by this law. Not wearing masks will attract penalties which are specified by the state.

How would that be determined for an area?

By Lockdown 3.0, all areas of state districts were segregated into containment, red, orange and green zones. In the Lockdown 4.0, states will categorise the areas into red, orange and green zones.

Colourful... but what are red, orange and green zones?

According to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, states can categorise districts or municipal corporations as red or orange zones.

"States may, however, also choose to categorise a sub-division or ward or any other appropriate administrative unit as red/orange/green zone after detailed analysis at their end, duly taking into consideration the geographical spread of cases, contacts and their zone of influence in terms of disease spread," the ministry said.

With the commencement of the third phase of lockdown, the Union Health Ministry listed 130 districts across the country in the red zone, 284 in the orange zone and 319 in green zones based on the incidence of cases of COVID-19, doubling rate, the extent of testing and surveillance feedback.

Districts were earlier designated as hotspots/red-zones, orange zones and green zones primarily based on the cumulative cases reported and the doubling rate.

A district will be considered under green zone if there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far or there is no reported case since last 21 days in the district, according to the letter.

Now, what is a buffer zone?

A buffer zone is an area of spread in a 5-kilometre radius (7 Kms in rural areas) of a containment zone.

How do I find out the zone I am in?

You either look at your state or city's municipal corporation pages to avail the zone details. You can also look at your district magistrate's Twitter handle or Facebook account to find out the list of the zone under which your area falls.

Can I leave my home now?

That depends. If you are in a containment zone or a red zone, you may not be allowed to leave your residence. Otherwise, in the other zones, the state governments and the district magistrates will decide upon the level of movement within and outside the zones.

Can I shift from a red zone to an orange or green zone?

You cannot. The residents of a red or containment zone cannot move out of their zones, nobody may enter the zones as well.

What about my office?

The private offices can operate in non-containment zones. The guidelines for offices to work will be listed by the state governments and the DMs (district magistrates).

Will I be allowed to use my bike/car or any other personal vehicle?

There is a likely chance of you being allowed to take out your bike or car or other vehicles (not helicopters or aeroplanes), if you are not in a containment zone. You need to check the rules listed by your state government or DM. The number of people who can ride at one time will also be decided by the state.

Can my driver, house help or neighbour drive me to my office/destination? Will I be allowed to take them to my workplace?

Yes, provided they are not from a red zone which may be risky for the passenger. This facility is prohibited in a containment zone. Also, check with your workplace regarding the norms to follow within the office. For the details on travelling with others in the car, look into the info provided by your state government, DM and Resident Welfare Association (RWA).

Will be able to fill petrol or diesel for my vehicle?

Definitely, yes. All petrol pumps, LPG and oil agencies will continue to be open.

What if I need to take a cab, auto or book one via Ola/Uber?

The same rules apply to them as well. Unless you are in a containment zone, the restrictions for using cabs and autos will be eased.

What if I need to use public transport like buses?

Some states have allowed buses to run, such as in Tamil Nadu in certain areas. You will have to check with the state government or DM's regulations enlisted for knowing the routes and norms to follow inside a bus.

Can I use my city's Metro line?

Unfortunately, metro lines are not allowed to open and will remain closed until further notification from the Centre.

Can I walk around in my area?

Walking will be permitted under the guidelines issued by the state and DM. Walking in groups will be prohibited and social distancing norms are to be followed in public at all times. Movement is allowed between 7 am to 7 pm in any zone - containment, red, orange or green.

Can I take my grandparents/kids out for a walk?

People older than 65 years of age, or younger than 10, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women are not allowed to venture out of their residences, as they are highly susceptible to the infection.

Can I go out with my friends?

A group of less than 5 people are allowed to walk together. If you are planning to use vehicles such as bikes, every induvial must have their own as more than one person on atwo-wheeler is not allowed in certain areas. Curfew timings are from 7 am to 7 pm as movent is prohibited beyond these timings. Check the regulations issued by your local DM or state government to know further details.

What if I need to see my friends, relatives or others?

The Resident Welfare Association (RWA) will make a decision about allowing visitors inside a zone, barring containment zones. Nobody is allowed within the containment zone or permitted to leave.

Can we now go to restaurants?

Restaurants are still closed irrespective of the zone. Take-away or delivery services will be available, nevertheless.

Can we go to malls?

Malls and restaurants and shops in the malls will remain closed irrespective of the zone, as these are crowd-pulling zones.

Does that mean multiplexes, theatres and drama/concert halls are closed as well?

Cinema halls, theatres, multiplexes and drama/concert halls will remain closed regardless of which zone they are in, till further instructions are sent by the Centre.

Can I go to the beach or a monument/heritage site?

Since such public places will attract a huge crowd that will be tough to control, beaches, monuments, heritage sites and such public places will be closed.

Can I go to coffee shops?

As coffee shops will fall under the category of restaurants, they will also be closed. Take-away and delivery services can be availed from the shops.

What about essentials?

Grocery shops, milk vendors, newspaper circulation are allowed to stay open. Proper sanitisation must be done from time-to-time to ensure customer and vendors’ safety.

I need to repair my phone. Will stand-alone non-essential services be open?

Such non-essential services are allowed to open in non-containment zones. Refer the state governments and DMs rules for knowing the type of shops and state and districts they are permitted in.

What about in-house repairs or services? Can I call a mechanic to my house?

Yes, provided your RWA has permitted to allow mechanics, workmen and labourers inside in non-containment zones.

New Delhi, Jun 7: India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, with 9,971 new infections taking the country's tally to 2,46,628, while the death toll rose to 6,929, according to the Union Health Ministry.

India registered 287 deaths in the 24 hours since Saturday morning.

India had raced past Spain on Saturday to become the fifth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, only the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK are ahead of it.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 1,20,406, according to the Health Ministry.

A total of 1,19,292 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the Ministry said.

During the last 24 hours, a total of 5,220 COVID-19 patients have been cured, the ministry said.

"Thus, around 48.37 per cent patients have recovered so far," a senior ministry official said.

The tally of confirmed cases includes foreigners.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has further ramped up the testing capacity for detecting the novel coronavirus in infected persons.

The number of government labs has been increased to 531 and private labs to 228, taking the total number of labs to 759.

As many as 1,42,069 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of samples tested till now to 46,66,386.

Deaths in India per lakh population (0.49) are much lower than the world average of 5.17 and are the lowest among countries that have eased lockdown such as Germany (10.35), Italy (55.78), the UK (59.62) and Spain (58.06), as per a WHO situation report cited by the Health Ministry.

Cases in India per lakh population (17.32) are much lower than the world average of 87.74 and are the lowest among countries that have eased lockdown such as Germany (219.93), Italy (387.33), the UK (419.54) and Spain (515.61).

Of the 287 deaths reported since Saturday morning, 120 were from Maharashtra, 53 from Delhi, 29 from Gujarat, 19 from Tamil Nadu, 17 from West Bengal, 15 from Madhya Pradesh, 13 from Rajasthan, 10 from Telangana, three from Jammu and Kashmir, two each from Karnataka, Punjab and Chhattisgarh and one each from Kerala and Bihar.

Of the total 6,929 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 2,969 deaths, followed by Gujarat with 1,219 deaths, Delhi with 761, Madhya Pradesh with 399, West Bengal with 383, Uttar Pradesh with 257, Tamil Nadu with 251, Rajasthan with 231, Telangana with 123 and Andhra Pradesh with 73 deaths.

The death toll reached 59 in Karnataka and 50 in Punjab.

Jammu and Kashmir has reported 39 fatalities due to the disease, Bihar has 30, Haryana has 24 deaths, Kerala has 15, Uttarakhand has 11, Odisha has eight and Jharkhand has reported seven deaths so far.

Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have registered five COVID-19 fatalities each. Assam and Chhattisgarh have recorded four deaths each.

Meghalaya and Ladakh have reported one COVID-19 fatality each, according to the Health Ministry data.

According to the Ministry's website, more than 70 per cent of the deaths are due to comorbidities.

The highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 82,968, followed by Tamil Nadu at 30,152, Delhi at 27,654, Gujarat at 19,592, Rajasthan at 10,331, Uttar Pradesh at 9,733 and Madhya Pradesh at 9,228, according to the Health Ministry data updated in the morning.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 7,738 in West Bengal, 5,213 in Karnataka, 4,915 in Bihar and 4,510 in Andhra Pradesh.

It has risen to 3,952 in Haryana, 3,496 in Telangana, 3,467 in Jammu and Kashmir and 2,781 in Odisha.

Punjab has reported 2,515 coronavirus infections so far, while Assam has 2,397 cases. A total of 1,807 people have been infected with the virus in Kerala and 1,303 in Uttarakhand.

Jharkhand has registered 1,000 cases, Chhattisgarh has 923, Tripura has 747, Himachal Pradesh has 400, Chandigarh has 309 cases, Goa has 267, Manipur has 157, Nagaland has 107, and Puducherry and Ladakh have 99 cases.

Arunachal Pradesh has 47 COVID-19 cases, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Meghalaya have registered 33 infections each.

Mizoram has reported 24 cases and Dadar and Nagar Haveli has 19 cases, while Sikkim has reported seven cases till now.

"8,605 cases are being reassigned to states," the Ministry said on its website adding, "our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR."

State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

New Delhi, Jul 22: Congress leader Sachin Pilot has served a legal notice to party MLA Giriraj Malinga, for claiming that the former had offered him money to join the BJP.

"Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has served a legal notice to Congress MLA Giriraj Malinga for his Rs 35 crore bribery allegation," a source close to Pilot said.
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Earlier, addressing a press conference, Malinga said, "Those MLAs who are stuck either in Haryana or Jaipur, are running after money. To say, they are not, are false claims. Even I was offered the same by Pilot, which I had refused. Came to this party knowing BJP and Congress do not accept money to give tickets."

When asked by the reporters whether he was offered Rs 35 crore, he claimed by saying, "Yes, 35." The MLA claimed he was himself the prove when the reporters asked for the same.

The political situation in Rajasthan is in turmoil after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sacked his then-deputy Sachin Pilot and the latter's confidants from his council of ministers. The Congress has also claimed that BJP was trying to buy its party MLAs.

On Monday, the Rajasthan High Court had said that it would hear the petition filed by Pilot and 18 of his loyalist MLAs on July 24, against the disqualification notices issued against them, a lawyer said.

"The arguments in the matter have been concluded. The court has heard the arguments from all the parties. The High Court has slated the matter for orders on July 24," Advocate Prateek Kasliwal told reporters after the hearing.