Lockdown extended; states and UTs asked to delineate zones

Prohibition on all public gatherings closure of schools malls and restaurants and suspension of flight and Metro services will remain in force till May 31 as the government on Sunday extended the ongoing countrywide lockdown to combat the COVID19 spreadThe Union home ministry issued a ninepage guideline listing the dos and donts during the lockdown 40 that has been clamped in the country to cut the chain of Coronavirus infection The guidelines came soon after the National Disaster Management Authority NDMA extended the national lockdown beyond Sunday till Mayend It said all domestic international air travel of passengers except domestic air ambulance will remain prohibitedMetro rail services schools colleges will remain closed till May end the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs MHA said Hotels restaurants cinema halls malls swimming pools gyms will also remain shut even as all social political religious functions and places of worship will be closed till May 31 it saidThe MHA said interstate movement of passenger vehicles buses will be allowed with mutual consent of states involved during the COVID19 lockdown 40States and Union Territories have been given the powers for delineation of Red Green and Orange Zones as per COVID19 situation the MHA said All shops except those in containment zones and malls will be allowed to open from Monday with staggered timings during lockdown 40 it saidMeanwhile the death toll due to COVID19 rose to 2872 and the number of total positive cases climbed to 90927 on Sunday morning registering an increase of 120 fatalities and a record jump of 4987 new cases in 24 hours since 8 am on Saturday according to the Union Health MinistryThe number of active COVID19 cases stands at 53946 while 34108 people have recovered and one patient has migrated it said Thus around 3751 per cent patients have recovered so far a senior health ministry official said Three states have reported over 10000 cases so far with Maharashtra being the worst hit at 30706 infections followed by Gujarat 10988 and Tamil Nadu 10585Tamil Nadu extends lockdown till May 31The COVID19 lockdown was on Sunday extended till May 31 in Tamil Nadu by Chief Minister K Palaniswami who announced new relaxations such as resumption of intradistrict transportation in 25 districts after a hiatus of nearly two months In 12 other districts including Chennai there will be no change in the curbs and they will continue as existed during the third phase of lockdown set to end on Sunday he added Citing consultations with top officials public health and medical experts he said the lockdown is extended till May 31 and the curbs including bar on functioning of educational institutions public entry into religious places and relaxations already in force will continue throughout the stateRlys make quarantine rules stricterAfter passengers on board a special train to Bengaluru refused to be quarantined the IRCTC has now decided that only those who agree to follow the quarantine protocol of the destination states will be allowed to book tickets on its portal The new rule mentioned in a popup on its website reads I have read the health advisory issued by my destination state I accept and shall abide by the same and requires the passenger to click on I agree to move forward and book tickets The rule comes days after around 50 passengers who arrived in Bengaluru from Delhi on May 14 refused to be quarantined at an institutional facility and created a ruckus at the stationCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever