Mission Begin Again: Pune get exemptions in Maharashtra govt order of Lockdown 5

Pune, May 31, 2020: A day after the central government extended Lockdown till June 30, the Maharashtra government has also issued guidelines and permitted several activities in Pune. The lockdown in Maharashtra has also increased until June 30. The National Directives for Covid -19 management  shall be followed throughout the state. Today Maharashtra Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta issued the following guidelines for lockdown 5 order calling it ‘Mission Begin Again’:

Night Curfew: The movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm to 5 am except for essential activities. Local authorities shall issue orders in the entire area of jurisdiction under appropriate provisions of law, such as prohibitory orders under sec 144 of CrPC, and ensure strict compliance.

Protection Of Vulnerable Persons: Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay home, except for essential and medical services.

Containment Zones: Containment zones will be demarcated by Municipal/District Authorities after taking into consideration the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The municipal commissioners in municipal corporation areas and district collectors in other parts of the district are empowered to decide the containment zones. Such zones should be a unit which can be effectively governed and efficiently managed considering the recourses availability. The containment zone will be a residential colony, mohalla, slum, building, group of buildings, lane, ward, police station area, villages, a small cluster of villages etc. Anything larger than this (eg. Whole taluka/ Whole Municipal Corporation etc.) can be declared as containment zone only after consultation with Chief Secretary.

In containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure there is no movement of people in and out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining the supply of essential goods. Guidelines of Health Ministry shall be taken into consideration for the above purpose.

Easing of Restrictions and Phase wise Opening: In Municipal Corporations of Mumbai Metropolitan Region including MCGM, Municipal Corporations of Pune, Solapur, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur following activities have been additionally permitted with restrictions, in phases as described below except containment zones. This is in addition to the activities already allowed and permitted.

Phase I (With Effect from 3rd June 2020): Outdoor physical activities: Individual physical exercises like cycling! jogging / running / walking shall be permitted on public open spaces including beaches, public/private playgrounds, grounds belonging to societies/institutions, gardens and promenades with following conditions. No activities will be permitted in indoor portion or indoor stadium. This will be allowed between 5 am to 7 pm.

No group activity will be permitted. However, children should be accompanied by an adult. People are advised to stay outdoors only for physical activities for a limited duration. No other activity is permitted. People are permitted to use only nearby/ neighbourhood open spaces. Long-distance travel will not be permitted. People are advised to avoid crowded open spaces. People are actively encouraged to use cycling as a form of physical exercise as it automatically ensures social distancing.

Activities related to self-employed people like plumbers, electricians, pest-control and technicians with social distancing norms and usage of masks and sanitization. Garages to mend vehicles and workshops with prior appointments. All Government offices (excluding Emergency, health & Medical, treasuries, disaster management, police, NIC, food & Civil Supply, FCI, N.Y.K., Municipal Services who can operate at the levels as per the need) will function at 15% strength or minimum 15 employees whichever is more.

Phase II (With Effect from 5th June 2020): All markets, market areas & shops, except malls and market complexes, are allowed to function on PI-P2 basis (shops on one side of the road/lane/passage to be opened on odd dates while shops on the other side on even dates) from 9 am to 5 pm with following conditions.

The use of trial rooms in the shops will not be permitted for clothes, apparels and similar items to prevent the spread of infection. Similarly, the exchange policy and return policy will not be permitted. The shopkeepers will be responsible for ensuring social distancing norms in the shops and are encouraged to take measures such as foot markings on the floor, token system, home delivery etc. People are advised to walk / to use cycles for shopping purposes and to use nearby/neighbourhood markets as far as possible. Long-distance travel for non-essential items will not be permitted. Use of motorized vehicles for shopping will be strictly discouraged. If any failure of social distancing is seen, then authorities will immediately close down such shops/markets.

Movement of people is allowed in the following manner: Taxi/Cab/aggregator Only essential 1 + 2, Rickshaw Only essential 1 + 2, Four Wheeler Only essential 1+ 2, Two-wheeler Only essential One Rider

Phase III (With Effect from 8th June 2020): All private offices can operate with up to 10% strength as per requirement, with remaining persons working from home. However, all the employers will take sensitisation programs to educate the employees to take adequate precautions on returning home so that vulnerable group especially the elderly is not infected.

In the rest of Maharashtra State except the areas mentioned above, all activities which are not explicitly prohibited or banned shall continue to be permitted, with following conditions. No permission is needed from any govt. authorities for permitted activities. The outdoor portion of Sport complexes and Stadia and other open to sky public spaces will be permitted to remain open for individual exercises; however, spectators and group activities will not be allowed. No activities will be permitted in indoor portion or indoor stadium. All physical exercise & activities will be done with social distancing norms.

All public and private transport will follow passenger management: Two Wheeler: 1 rider, Three Wheeler: 1 + 2, Four Wheeler: 1 + 2

Intradistrict bus service will be allowed with a maximum 50% capacity per bus with physical distancing and sanitation measures. Inter-district bus service orders will not be permitted. Orders will be separately issued in this regard.

All markets/shops will remain open from 9 am to 5 pm. If any crowding or failure of social distancing norms is seen, then authorities will immediately close down such shops/markets.

The following activities will remain prohibited across the state:

i. Schools, colleges, educational, training, coaching institutions etc.

ii. International air travel of passengers, except as permitted by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

iii. Metro Rail.

iv. Passenger Movement by trains and domestic air travel unless specifically allowed through separate orders and standard operating procedure (SOP)

v. Cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places.

vi. Social! political! sports/ entertainment! academic/ cultural! religious functions and large congregations.

vii. Religious places/ places of worship for public

viii. Barber Shops, Spas, Saloons, Beauty Parlours.

ix. Shopping Malls, Hotels, Restaurants and other Hospitality Services. 

Easing of Restrictions and opening up for these activities will be done in a phased manner along with Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines 

Special directions to ensure movement of persons and goods in certain cases: All Authorities shall allow inter-State and Intra-State movement of medical professionals, nurses and paramedical staff, sanitation personnel and ambulances, without any restriction.

However, inter-state and inter-district movement of persons shall continue to be regulated. The movement of stranded labour, migrant workers, pilgrim, tourists etc will continue to be regulated as per SOPs issued. Similarly, movement of persons by shramik special trains and seafarers will continue to be regulated as per SOPs issued.

Movement of Indian nationals stranded outside the country and of specified persons to travel abroad; evacuation of foreign nationals; sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers will continue to be regulated as per SOPs issued.

All Authorities shall allow Inter-State movement of all types of goods/ cargo, including empty trucks. No authorities shall stop the movement of any type of goods/cargo for cross land-border trade under Treaties with neighbouring countries.

Use of Aarogya Setu: Aarogya Setu enables early identification of potential risk of infection, and thus acts as a shield for individuals and the community. To ensure safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones.

District authorities may advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app. This will facilitate timely provision of medical attention to those individuals who are at risk.

General instructions: Notwithstanding anything contained in this order, containment areas will continue to follow the same health protocols, as laid down before this order. No district/regional/State authority will issue ANY order/guideline/direction in deviation or contrary to these guidelines, without the approval of Chief Secretary, Maharashtra.

Penal provisions: Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 besides legal action under Sec. 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable.”