Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha among states that eased restrictions; here's state-wise revised guidelines

With COVID-19 cases declining in the country, several states have eased their restrictions while few others still continue to maintain lockdown rules in specific areas and cities. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted with state chief ministers reviewing their efforts and measures taken for the people. On Friday, he asked the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra and Kerala to take proactive measures to rule out the third wave by moving forward with the strategy of test, track, treat and ’tika (vaccine)’. These states have accounted for 80 percent of new COVID-19 cases last week and 84 percent of deaths, he noted specifically mentioning the rise in infections in Kerala and Maharashtra as a matter of grave concern for the country. He asked the chief ministers to focus on districts with large numbers of cases. On Tuesday, Modi had interacted with chief ministers of eight North-Eastern states through video conferencing. Here’s a lits of states that have revised their COVID-19 guidelines recently:

1. Gujarat: The Gujarat government on Friday extended night curfew in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh till the morning of 1 August.  It allowed water parks and swimming pools to operate at 60 percent capacity from 20 July but stipulated that their staff must get at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination by 31 July. A ccording to news agency PTI, an official said non AC private and public transport buses can operate at 100 percent capacity and AC buses at 75 percent capacity from 20 July. It will be mandatory for drivers and conductors to take the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
2. Manipur: The Manipur government on Friday announced the imposition of curfew in the entire state from Sunday to 27 July with exemption to some essential services. Only essential services related to vaccination, COVID testing, medical services including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, water supply, power supply, police, telecom and internet services, air travel, agriculture, horticulture, garbage clearance, petrol pumps, LPG distributers and goods trucks will be allowed, as per an order issued by the state’s chief secretary.
3. Tripura: The Tripura government has imposed a weekend curfew on Saturday and Sunday and extended the existing day curfew in Agartala Municipal Corporation and 11 other towns or Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from 19 to 23 July after reviewing the Covid-19 situation.The weekend curfew will be in force from 6 am on 17 July to 6 am on 19 July.The 11 towns where the Corona day Curfew has been extended are - Ranirbazar, Jirania Nagar, Khowai, Kailashahar, Dharmanagar, Belonia, Kumarghat, Teliamura, Amarpur Nagar, Panisagar Nagar and Kamalpur Nagar. The corona day curfew will be in force from 2 pm to 5 am. Night curfew (6 pm to 5 am) has been extended in the entire state from 19 to 24 July.
4. Maharashtra: On 16 July, the Maharashtra government declared that it will continue the level 3 restrictions in Pune and other districts as the positivity rate in these areas has not declined much. Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar informed that Pune and other districts such as Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Pune, Raigad and Ahmednagar will continue to remain under exitisting restrictions. Prohibitory orders have also been imposed in several tourist spots in Pune district.
5. Kerala: For the occasion of Bakrid, the Kerala government has decided to relax lockdown restrictions on 18, 19, and 20 July. The Kerala Chief Minister’s Office has also informed that shops selling essential items can function in the state. Permission has been given to textile, footwear, electronics, and jewellery shops to remain open till 8 pm. According to the NewsMinute, shops can operate in all areas that are categorised as A, B and C zones on the basis of the potivity rate
6. Haryana: The lockdown in the state has been extended till 19 July. The Haryana government has also allowed a slew of relaxations. Universities and colleges can function for students especially for doubt clearance while practical classes, examinations will take place with strict adherence to social distancing norms.
7. Odisha: As per the new lockdown rules, the Odisha government has permitted movement of the passenger buses in the state. Also, barbershops and beauty parlours can resume their business keeping in mind the Covid-19 protocols. The Odisha government made this announcement on 15 July while extending the partial lockdown till 6 am on 1 August.
8. Puducherry: As per an official statement, the Puducherry government has extended the lockdown in the Union territory till the end of July. Even after the lockdown ends, the restrictions will continue to be in force from 10 pm to 5 am every day. As per the latest update, any social or political gathering is prohibited, while shops and other commercial establishments can function from 9 am to 9 pm.
9. Uttarakhand: Earlier this week, the Uttarakhand government had extended the coronavirus lockdown in the state till 20 July. The state government has also directed concerned district magistrates to cut down on the number of tourists entering on weekends. Meanwhile, the updated guidelines issued by Chief Secretary SS Sandhu had said that tourists visiting the state need to provide a negative Covid test report, which must not be older than 72 hours. Also, a registration on the smart city portal has been made compulsory for all tourists.

With inputs from PTI