Unlock 4.0: Metro from Sep 7, functions with cap of 100 from Sept 21, schools & colleges to remain closed

New Delhi: Come September 7, the Metro Rail network, which had to down the shutters on it’s services across the country nearly five months ago, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, will again run on the tracks, while the schools and colleges to remain closed till September 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced, while issuing the Unlock 4 guidelines.

According to the Unlock 4 norms, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) and the Ministry of Railways (MoR), in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the operation of Metro services.

After extensive consultation with the States and Union Territories (UTs), it has been decided that Schools, Colleges, educational and coaching institutions will continue to remain closed for the students and regular class activity up to September 30.

Online or distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.

The new guidelines, however, allowed from September 21 certain activities outside the ‘Containment Zones’ that the States/ UTs may permit up to 50 per cent of teaching and non-teaching staff to be called to the schools at a time for online teaching/ tele-counselling and related work.

The Unlock 4 guidelines allowed the social, political, cultural religious gathering with a ceiling of 100 persons from September 21, mandating the use of face masks, thermal scanning and hand wash or sanitizer, while also making it compulsory to follow the social distancing norms.

The Cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres and similar places and International air travel of passengers, except as permitted by MHA, will remain suspended as earlier. However, the ‘Open Air Theatres’ will be allowed from September 21, 2020.

The marriage-related gatherings, with number of guests not to exceed 50 and  20  for funeral or last rites will continue till September 20, after which, the ceiling of 100 persons will come into force.

The Lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in the Containment Zones till September 30, 2020 and it shall be demarcated by the District authorities at micro level, after taking into consideration the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), with the objective of effectively breaking the chain of transmission. (UNI)