ADVERTISEMENT

Unlock 3: What’s Allowed And What’s Not

Night curfew has been removed and gyms can reopen in some of the relaxations announced.

Pedestrians walk along a near-empty street near Crawford Market during a lockdown in Mumbai, India. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
Pedestrians walk along a near-empty street near Crawford Market during a lockdown in Mumbai, India. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

Night curfew has been removed and gyms can reopen in some of the relaxations announced in the third phase of lifting of lockdown restrictions even as Covid-19 cases mount in the country.

Under Unlock 3, activities such gyms and yoga institutes that are not in containment zones will be allowed to reopen from Aug. 5 after standard operating procedure are issued by Ministry of Family Welfare and Health, according to a statement by the Home Ministry. These add to the list of activities allowed in the first and second phases.

Metro services, cinema halls and swimming pools, entertainment parks, auditoriums, bars, theaters, and other social, political or religious gathering places, will remain closed till Aug. 31.

The third phase of the relaxations comes nearly a month after India started to open its stringent nationwide lockdown. That comes when the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India has crossed 15 lakh, the third highest in the world. The outbreak has reached smaller cities and towns.

The Home Ministry said the new guidelines were issued based on the feedback received by authorities and chief ministers of the states and the union territories.

Schools, colleges and other education institutions still can't reopen. The home ministry said the dates for resuming the remaining banned services will be "decided separately based on the assessment of the situation".