Unlock 1.0: With malls, religious places set to open on June 8, Centre issues guidelines

Team Suno Neta Thursday 4th of June 2020 10:22 PM

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(Representative photo from Tai’s Captures/Unsplash)

New Delhi: The government has issued a set of guidelines or the standard operating procedure (SOP) for reopening of offices, malls, hotels, restaurants and religious places, on Thursday. Earlier on Saturday, the government had allowed these to open limiting the nationwide lockdown only to containment zones for a month till June 30.

The fourth phase of the lockdown imposed on the country to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, ended on May 31.

While the unlocking of the businesses has been allowed, the government has also advised people over 65 and those with compromised immunity to stay at home. Apart from this, the Centre has allowed the states to impose their own restrictions if they deem it necessary for containing the spread of the virus.

Main SOPs for hotels and other hospitality units:

Room service or takeaways to be encouraged
Number of people in elevators shall be restricted

.@MoHFW_INDIA issues Standard operating procedure (SOP) on preventive measures to contain spread of #COVID19 in Hotels & other Hospitality Units

Room service or takeaways to be encouraged
Number of people in elevators shall be restricted

More here: https://t.co/MGaUqShVkj pic.twitter.com/4YkyUmUKQ7
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 4, 2020

Main SOPs for restaurants:

Takeaways to be encouraged, instead of dine-in
Disposable menus are advised to be used

.@MoHFW_INDIA issues Standard operating procedure (SOP) on preventive measures in #Restaurants to contain spread of #COVID19

Takeaways to be encouraged, instead of Dine-In
Disposable menus are advised to be used

More here: https://t.co/HghP93Pn5M pic.twitter.com/aeM77eu5O8
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 4, 2020

Main SOPs for shopping malls:

Only asymptomatic customers/visitors shall be allowed
Physical distance of a minimum of 6 feet between people must

.@MoHFW_INDIA issues Standard operating procedure (SOP) on preventive measures in shopping malls to contain spread of #COVID19

Only asymptomatic customers/visitors shall be allowed

Maintaining physical distancing of a minimum of 6 feet

Read here: https://t.co/ibApBbvvx0 pic.twitter.com/FvoaGzMzTQ
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 4, 2020

Main SOPs for religious places/places of worship

Large gatherings/congregations prohibited
No physical offerings, like prasad distribution

.@MoHFW_INDIA issues standard operating procedure #SOP on preventive measures to contain the spread of #COVID19 in #ReligiousPlaces/places of worship

Prohibition on large gatherings/congregation
No physical offerings like Prasad distribution

More https://t.co/0coJYzQFyP pic.twitter.com/7v93SnZWnP
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 4, 2020

Supreme Court extends relief to employers unable to page wages

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court extended its order until June 12 in which it had directed the government not to take coercive action against employers for failing to follow the government’s March 29 circular on payment of full wages to employees during the lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In the circular, the home ministry had asked employers to pay full wages to their workers without any deduction even if their business or operations were closed during the lockdown. The Union labour and employment secretary had also written to chief secretaries of states and Union territories to advise employers not to terminate employees from their jobs or reduce their wages during the coronavirus crisis.

The government had filed an affidavit saying its March 29 order was in conformity with the provisions of the Disaster Management Act and was not ultra vires. In an affidavit, it also said the employers who say they can’t pay their employees must furnish their balance sheets as “proof” that they are incapable of paying their employees full wages.

India Covid-19 cases continue to rise sharply

Meanwhile, India recorded nearly 10,000 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number of cases the country has recorded in a single day. On Thursday, India recorded 9,889 fresh cases and 275 new deaths.

According to media reports, rural India is currently witnessing a sharp rise in coronavirus cases as migrant workers from cities are returning to their native towns and villages carrying the virus they contacted in the cities. Quoting a member of the government’s Covid-19 task force, Reuters reported that high levels of under-nutrition and a weak health infrastructure were likely to cause high mortality from the disease in the rural areas.

Currently, India is at the 7^th position in the list of countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases. In terms of Covid-19 deaths, India is ranked 12^th in the world.

Latest global coronavirus stats from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering

Latest coronavirus India stats: