Unlock 4 may allow metros, but final call with states

The Centre intends to restart metro rail services throughout the country, but has left the final decision on states, a government source said.

The fourth phase of Unlock is expected to be rolled out next month.

Schools and colleges will still remain closed with restrictions on crowded places like cinema halls to continue.

Meanwhile, Delhi Metro is likely to start from September 1 with extensive restrictions. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged the Centre to treat Delhi metro’s differently and allow the metro to run because the coronavirus situation in Delhi has improved.

“The coronavirus situation is improving in Delhi. If they do not want to run Metro trains in other cities, let it be so. But, in Delhi, Metro train services should be started in a phased manner, on a trial basis,” Kejriwal said on Sunday (August 23) at an online meet with traders, entrepreneurs and businessmen.

The Centre too is in favour of restarting metro because flight and train services have resumed which requires passengers to be inside a train or plane for hours. In comparison, a metro journey won’t stretch beyond two hours and is possible if all the safety measures can be maintained.

Related news: India’s recovery rate touches 75.7% as around 24 lakh cured of COVID

The Unlock 3 on July 30 ended night curfew and allowed the opening of yoga institutes.

India has been recording the highest per day case count in the world since August 8. Over the last three days the number has been close to 70,000 per day. Today (August 24) it slowed slightly, with data from the health ministry showing a spike of 61,408 cases. The country has already registered more than 31 lakh cases of the disease. The number of fatalities climbed to 57,542.