Lockdown 3.0: You can buy smartphones, laptops but here’s the fine print

The government hasn’t clarified whether brick-and-mortar stores can also start selling phones as well as laptops in green zones.

E-commerce platforms can resume the sale of non-essential goods, including smartphones, laptops and personal computers, even after the government extended the lockdown by another two weeks after May 4 amid the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Even as the government extended the coronavirus lockdown by another two weeks, e-commerce platforms can resume the sale of non-essential goods, including smartphones, laptops and personal computers. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Union ministry of home affairs issued guidelines for activities, which will be permitted and prohibited in varying degrees, across India’s red, orange and green zones to gradually allow businesses and individuals to resume their normal life.

However, there are some conditions which apply to the sale of smartphones and other such electronic goods online. The government hasn’t clarified whether brick-and-mortar stores can also start selling phones as well as laptops in green zones.

The sale of non-essential items through e-commerce platforms will only be allowed in those areas which have no or fewer cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), according to the MHA guidelines.

So, they will be able to deliver non-essential items only in those areas that have been marked under orange and green zones.

However, they have not been allowed to resume sales and delivery of non-essential items in the red zones until further notice.

So if you are in Delhi and Mumbai and under a red zone, you won’t be able to order any non-essential items.

The government had given a go-ahead to e-commerce platforms to resume full operations earlier as well. It had said it would ease the restrictions on e-commerce websites from April 20 but had revoked that order.