Lockdown contained, unlocking in 3 phases; some curbs to stay in place till June 30

NEW DELHI: In keeping with the increasing easing of the lockdown, the Centre on Saturday set out a three-phase “unlock” plan that will restrict curbs to containment zones and permit reopening of malls, hotels and restaurants, inter-state travel and religious places in keeping with rules (SOPs) to be issued by the health ministry.

The MHA sought to underline the shrinking footprint of the lockdown, calling the latest guidelines “unlock 1” and saying “…they will have an economic focus. The new guidelines have been issued based on extensive consultations with states and UTs.” The night curfew has been retained, with a shortened period of 9pm-5am instead of the previous 7pm-7am routine where movement for non-essential reasons is banned.

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As Lockdown 4.0 ends, the limiting of curbs to containment zones where only essential services will be allowed, even though the daily count of cases is growing, reflects the Centre’s assessment that the Covid curve is not assuming runaway proportions and can be managed with a focus on hotspots. It is also felt that so far the increase in number of cases due to the return of migrants to the hinterl