Amidst a surge in covid-19 cases, the government has permitted social, cultural, religious and political congregations with a ceiling of 100 persons from 21st September under fresh guidelines for unlock 4.0 issued on Saturday.
The new guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday said that marriage related gatherings with number of guests not exceeding 50 and funeral or last rites related gatherings with number of persons not exceeding 20 will continue to be allowed upto 20th September 2020, after which the ceiling of 100 persons will apply, the government said.
As the covid-19 count crossed 35 lakh and deaths crossed 65,000 on Saturday, the new guidelines are for opening up of more activities in areas outside the Containment Zones under Unlock 4.0 to be in effect from September 1, 2020.
However, such Social, academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious and political functions or gatherings can be held with mandatory wearing of face masks, social distancing, provision for thermal scanning and hand wash or sanitizer, the government said.
The guidelines are based on feedback received from States and UTs, and extensive consultations held with related Central Ministries and Departments, the MHA said in a statement.
Containment Zones shall be demarcated by the District authorities at micro level after taking into consideration the guidelines of union health ministry with the objective of effectively breaking the chain of transmission. Strict containment measures will be enforced in these containment zones and only essential activities will be allowed, the government said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister on Saturday in the 20th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on covid-19 instructed the union Health Ministry officials to develop Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) for the Members of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly sessions comprising covid-19 protocols and preventive measures.
The GoM was apprised that within the country, eight States i.e. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana contribute to around 73% of the active caseload, as of Saturday.
Moreover, seven States i.e. Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal account for 81% of total deaths.
The government has said that State/ UT Governments shall not dilute the new guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in any manner.
For the enforcement of social distancing, State/ UT Governments may, as far as possible, use the provisions of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of 1973.
Some states are still continuing with lockdowns. For instance in Uttar Pradesh there is a lockdown every Saturday and Sunday to limit the spread of coronavirus. Police officials have said that the aim is to prevent spread of the virus in the rural areas and strict enforcement of lockdown to curb movement of persons.
“Etawah has over two thirds of cases in the city. Majority of our cases are in the urban area and we don’t want the disease to spread in rural areas. We take strict action against people who violate the rules under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. We ensure social distancing and that people wear mask and venture out for only essential needs. Weekend lockdown is being strictly enforced,” Akash Tomar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Etawah told Mint.
Public health experts have said while the unlock 4.0 has started as social mingling was becoming important for mental health of people but that permitting such social gathering may lead to further spread of coronavirus if people mingling do not take their own responsibility.
“Community groups such as religious, social, political should take their responsibility of safety measures of people through self impose rules and regulations rather than strict policing. Normalising community functions are important for mental health, social and economical health. Said Dr Jugal Kishore, professor and head, department of community medicine, Safdarjung Hospital.
