Lockdown 5.0 likely, Centre chalks out roadmap for next phase  

May 31, the last day of the COVID-induced lockdown 4.0 is closing in, and the Centre is readying a roadmap to deal with the situation after June 1.

While it is being speculated that the Centre may extend the lockdown till June 15, states might be allowed to take a call on opening up public spaces.

“Ultimately, it would be a political call on whether to continue with the National Disaster Management Act or allow the states to have a final call as to how they want to proceed from June 1,” NDTV quoted a Home Ministry official as saying.

The Centre’s imposition of the National Disaster Management Act on the COVID-19 situation, had vested it with powers to take calls on health, essentially a state subject. While many states, were opposed to this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last meeting with chief ministers, had left it to the states to decide on easing lockdown norms.

Related news: Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 4,531, cases climb to 1.58 lakh

In the past few days restrictions have been eased in several parts of the country, special trains and domestic air travel have been opened, and states have been allowed to take a call on delineating red zones under their jurisdictions.

Reports, say Prime Minister Modi may announce the lockdown extension and new guidelines for it on Sunday during his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address.

According to reports, special attention would be given to cities with maximum number of infections like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Thane, Indore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat and Kolkata. Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on Thursday (May 28) called a meeting of municipal commissioners and district magistrates of 13 COVID-19-hit cities to plan the road ahead.

While states may be allowed to take a call on opening up places of worship, public places like shopping malls and eateries, restrictions would continue in containment zones. The Karnataka government recently wrote to the centre to allow opening of religious places from June 1 while Lucknow plans to open shopping malls.

While domestic flights have resumed, lockdown 5.0 may not see the resumption of international flights.

Reports say the Centre may give a go-ahead to resumption of the Delhi Metro from June 1.

The Centre is also likely to come up with a list of activities that will be prohibited across the country.

The number of COVID-19 cases, on the other hand, has shown an alarming rise in the past few days. The country has 86,110 active COVID-19 cases and 4,531 deaths as per Union Health Ministry updates on Thursday.

The rise in cases is being attributed to the movement of migrant workers to their home states, evacuations of Indians from abroad and resumption of domestic flights.