Lockdown 5.0: Centre may let states decide on restrictions post-May 31

The role of the central government will eventually be limited to announcing a step-wise and smaller list of barred activities nationally and defining national directives on COVID-19 management

The Centre may ask states and union territories to take a call on future curbs on their respective jurisdictions after lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31.

However, the same will be outside a nationwide 'negative' list that is likely to continue to prohibit international flights and resumption of schools and colleges.

According to sources cited by the Times of India, the lockdown measures may be assessed every fortnight until restrictions are gradually phased out, in line with the developing situation.

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The role of the central government will eventually be limited to announcing a step-wise and smaller list of barred activities nationally and defining national directives on COVID-19 management such as wearing masks compulsorily, as well as observing social distancing, the news report added.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs came out with the last set of lockdown guidelines on May 17 that had left it to states to decide on delineation of red, green, and orange zones as well as taking a call on the degree of relaxations to the states/UTs.

The Centre had allowed everything except a select few barred activities such as re-opening of educations institutions, cinema halls, gyms, shopping mall, swimming pools, resumption of domestic and international passenger flights, public gatherings comprising religious assemblies.

Eventually, domestic passenger flights were resumed from May 25 but with specific rules and guidelines such as the mandatory wearing of face masks by passengers, cap on ticket pricing, no food service onboard flights, and furnishing details of medical conditions by travellers via the Aarogya Setu app or by filling up a self-declaration form.

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