Lockdown Extended in Chandigarh: Full list of activities permitted in Chandigarh from Monday, 4 May 2020

Chandigarh is classified under the red zone by the Ministry of Home Affairs after the Union Territory reported 97 positive cases of COVID-19. The city has reported one death due to the virus. Along with the rest of the country, Chandigarh too enters into the third phase of nationwide lockdown. According to Punjab Governor and Union Territory Administrator VP Singh Badnore, six zones in Chandigarh have been tagged as containment zone. With the extension of lockdown for the third consecutive time, the central government has mapped each district in three zones - red, orange, and green based on the number of COVID-19 cases in the areas. [caption id=“attachment_8284841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] Places with the most number of active COVID-19 cases and the doubling rate of confirmed cases will fall under Red Zones or Hotspot districts. Those with zero confirmed cases till date or no COVID-19 positive cases in the last 21 days will be marked under the Green Zones. Areas, where the pandemic appeared to have been reined in, will fall under Orange zones. Chandigarh has lifted the curfew from the midnight of 3 May, but the lockdown will remain in place along with the rest of the country till 17 May. The lockdown 3.0 that has come into effect from 4 May has got some breather for residents of Chandigarh. Since the city is under the red zone, following are the things that are permitted in for the next two week: 1) Individuals and vehicles are allowed to move only for permitted activities. Only private four-wheeler vehicles with a maximum of two passengers and the driver are allowed. No pillion riders are permitted on two-wheelers. 2) Shops selling essential goods in markets and market complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas. All standalone (single) shops, neighbourhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes can continue to operate. Shops, barring those in malls, in rural areas are allowed to remain open and sell both essential and non-essential items. People in all these areas must maintain social distancing. 3) Private offices can operate with a maximum of up to 33 percent workforce as per requirement. The remaining staff can work from home. 4) E-commerce companies are only allowed to deliver essential goods during the time of lockdown. 5) In urban areas, only Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Export Oriented Units (EOUs), industrial estates and industrial townships are allowed to operate with access control. In rural areas, all industrial activities are permitted. 6) Construction activities are allowed in rural areas. 7) All government offices are allowed to function with officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above to the extent of 100 per cent strength 8) Defence and Security services, Health and Family Welfare, Police, Prisons, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency services. Disaster management and related services are allowed to function. Chandigarh government in a press release said that along with the above approvals, all shops in internal markets (neighbourhood shops) will remain open from 10 am to 6 pm on the odd-even basis. The explained that on 4 May, only shops ending even number will be allowed to remain open. Individuals can use their vehicles without formal passes from 7 am to 7 pm. The government has, however, advised citizens of the city to stay indoors and step out only when it is necessary.