Subsequent to PM Modi’s address to the nation on 14th April, Ministry of Home Affairs has come up with guidelines related to permitted activities and list of businesses that can operate after 20th April.
The activities permitted under the revised guidelines, from April 20, 2020 will not be allowed within the containment zones as demarcated by States/ UTs/ District Administrations. Also, businesses that open up will have to ensure that they comply with guidelines related to safety and hygiene. Some of these being – mandatory face masks at work places and in public places,strong hygiene and health care measures like provision of sanitizes , staggered shifts , access control , thermal screening etc.
The following commercial and private businesses will be allowed to operate after 20th April 2020. These are over and above the list of essential services, that has already been in place during the lockdown.
- Print and electronic media including broadcasting, DTH, and cable services.
- IT & IT Enabled services, with upto 50 % strength.
- Data and call centers for government activities only.
- Government approved common service centers at gram panchayat level.
- E Commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce companies will be allowed to ply with necessary approvals.
- Courier services.
- Cold storage and warehousing services, including at ports, airports, railway stations, container depots, individual units, and other links in the logistics chain.
- Private security services, and facility management services for maintaince of office and residential premises.
- Hotels, homestays, lodges, and motesls which are acoomodating tourists and persons stranded due to lockdown, medical and emergency staff, air and sea crew.
- Establishments earmarked for quarantine facilities.
- Services provided by self-employed persons – e.g- electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters.
- Industries operating in rural areas – outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities.
- Manufacturing and other industrial establishments with access control have been permitted in SEZs, EoUs, industrial estates and industrial townships after implementation of SOP for social distancing.
- Manufacturing units of essential goods – drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediaries.
- Food processing industries in rural areas.
- Manufacturing of IT hardware, packaging material.
- Coal production, mine and mineral production, their transportation etc.
- Production units that rely on continuous process.
Need based permission from district authorities may be needed in some cases.
However, these additional activities would be operationalized by States/ Union Territories (UTs)/ District Administrations based on strict compliance to the existing guidelines on lockdown measures. Before operating these relaxations, States/ UTs/ District Administrations shall ensure that all preparatory arrangements with regard to social distancing in offices, workplaces, factories and establishments, and other sectoral requirements are in place.
Read: Lockdown stays, however select businesses can resume their operations after 20th April 2020
Read: Lockdown 2.0: MHA issues fresh guidelines for workplaces that open up after 20th April
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