Revised lockdown rules can’t be diluted, MHA tells states & UTs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi  16.04.2020

: The home ministry on Wednesday wrote to all states and Union territories emphasising that the revised lockdown guidelines issued by it cannot be diluted, though stricter measures can be enforced as per requirement of specific areas.

In a communication to state chief secretaries, home secretary Ajay Bhalla said the additional activities allowed under the revised guidelines in nonhotspot areas may not be permitted in the containment zones demarcated by the states and UTs as per guidelines of the ministry of health and family welfare. Also, if any new area is demarcated as a containment zone, the activities allowed there till such time will be suspended except for those activities which are specifically permitted under the revised MHA guidelines.

The activities allowed by the guidelines will be withdrawn immediately if any of the lockdown measures are violated, risking the spread of Covid-19. “All entities, in the government and private sectors, and members of the public should follow the guidelines strictly,” the home secretary said.