Unlock 5 guidelines likely today: All you need to know about Delhi’s plan so far
While the Central government is likely to release its Unlock 5 guidelines Wednesday, the document will be studied by the Delhi government, which is likely to issue fresh orders concerning relaxations of certain norms within two days
The tenure of the Delhi government’s present order concerning relaxations of Covid-19 lockdown norms lapses on Wednesday.
While the Central government is likely to release its Unlock 5 guidelines Wednesday, the document will be studied by the Delhi government, which is likely to issue fresh orders concerning relaxations of certain norms within two days, said a senior official of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
Under the Centre’s guidelines, state governments are allowed to implement the Unlock regulations in a stricter form but they are prohibited from diluting them.
Some of the key fronts on which Delhi government are likely to take a call on include
Schools and education institutes
The Delhi government is scheduled to take a fresh call on this by October 5. Under the current rules, students from classes 9 to 12 are allowed to visit their schools voluntarily and higher education institutions can be opened only for research scholars and post-graduate students of technical and professional programmes. In Delhi, however, all education institutes are closed till October 5, as per an order by the state government.
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Multiplexes and theatres
Even if the Central government allows multiplexes, cinema halls and theatres to reopen under its Unlock plans, the final call for Delhi will be of lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal’s, who is the chairperson of DDMA. A DDMA meeting is likely to take place later this week.
Multiplexes, however, have standard operating procedures (SOP) in place, said a senior office bearer of the Multiplex Association of India. He added the new SOP includes gaps between seats, a thorough disinfection of halls and auditoriums after every show and complete migration to e-tickets and contactless check-ins.
Maximum gathering size
Currently, Central government guidelines allow gatherings up to 100 people. But, the government is yet to notify that. This essentially means a gathering of over 50 people are prohibited in the city. The maximum limit of 50 was initially set for marriages and has been in place under the Central government guidelines since June 1. Under the guidelines currently applicable in Delhi, it applies to all gatherings—political, religious, cultural, academic, etc.
The Durga Puja festival is also scheduled in the third week of October and most organisers are so far in a state of confusion, not having received a go-ahead from the police or the government yet.