As part of the Unblock 4 guidelines issued on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said state / UT governments cannot impose the local blockade without prior consultation with the Center.
“State / UT governments will not impose any local (state / district / subdivision / city / town) blockades, outside the containment zones, without prior consultation with the central government,” stated MHA. The guidelines also state that the lockdown will continue to be strictly enforced in the containment zones until September 30.
The Center’s latest directive gains prominence in the wake of the NEET and JEE exams that are scheduled for September, and localized closures could hamper student mobility to test centers.
Since the Center lifted the nationwide lockdown in May, many states have been enforcing the local lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19.
States such as Karnataka, Bihar have imposed 14-day lockdowns to break the Covid-19 chain, while Assam, Uttar Pradesh have imposed weekend lockdowns.
For example, the Covid-19 lockdown measures in West Bengal have been extended until September 20, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday.
“The current lockdown measures will remain in effect in the state until September 20 and a full lockdown will be observed on September 7, 11 and 12,” Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister announced the closure on August 12 to break the chain of transmission of the virus in the state.
To contain the spread of Covid-19, the Haryana government ordered on Friday that shopping malls and stores in markets in urban areas remain closed on Mondays and Tuesdays instead of weekends as stated above.
However, the new order does not apply to stores that deal with essential goods and services.
The revised instructions come a week after the government ordered offices and stores to be closed on weekends across the state.
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