The Union home ministry has allowed select activities to be resumed from April 20, Monday. The revised guidelines will not apply in Covid-19 containment zones demarcated by the states and Union Territories. If any new area is included in the containment zone category, the activities allowed in the area till the time of the categorisation will be suspended, except for the activities permitted under the guidelines of the Union health ministry.

Before allowing these select additional activities, states/ Union Territories / district administrations should ensure that standard operating procedures for social distancing in offices, workplaces, factories and establishments and other sectoral requirements are in place. States and Union Territories can impose stricter measures than these guidelines.

Ongoing restrictions on public transport, such as buses, Metro services and trains for passengers, will continue to be in place till May 3.

All health services (including AYUSH)

◙ Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, telemedicine facilities

◙ Dispensaries, chemists, pharmacies, all kinds of medicine shops including Jan Aushadhi Kendras and medical equipment shops

◙ Medical laboratories and collection centres

◙ Pharmaceutical and medical research labs, institutions carrying out Covid-19-related research

◙ Veterinary Hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, pathology labs, sale and supply of vaccine and medicine

◙ Authorised private establishments, which support the provisioning of essential services, or efforts for containment of Covid-19, including home care providers, diagnostics, supply chain firms serving hospitals

◙ Manufacturing units of drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical oxygen, their packaging material, raw material and intermediates

◙ Construction of medical/ health infrastructure including manufacture of ambulances

◙ Movement (inter- and intra-state, including by air) of all medical and veterinary personnel, scientists, nurses, paramedical staff, lab technicians, mid-wives and other hospital support services, including ambulances.

Agricultural and related activities

◙ Farming operations by farmers and farm workers in field

◙ Agencies engaged in procurement of agriculture products, including MSP operations

◙ Mandis operated by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) or as notified by the State/UT government (eg, satellite mandis). Direct marketing operations by the State/UT Government or by industry, directly from farmers/ group of farmers, FPOs' co-operatives etc. States/ UTs may promote decentralized marketing and procurement at village level

◙ Shops of agriculture machinery, its spare parts (including its supply chain) and repairs to remain open.

◙ Custom hiring centres (CHC) related to farm machinery

◙ Manufacturing, distribution and retail of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds

◙ Movement (inter and intra State) of harvesting and sowing related machines like combined harvester and other agriculture/ horticulture implements

Fisheries

◙ Operations of the fishing (marine and inland)/ aquaculture industry, including feeding & maintenance, harvesting, processing, packaging, cold chain, sale and marketing

◙ Hatcheries, feed plants, commercial aquaria.

◙ Movement of fish/ shrimp and fish products, fish seed/ feed and workers for all these activities

Plantations

◙ Operations of tea, coffee and rubber plantations, with maximum of 50% workers

◙ Processing, packaging, sale and marketing of tea, coffee, rubber and cashew, with maximum of 50% workers

Animal husbandry

◙ Collection, processing, distribution and sale of milk and milk products by milk processing plants, including transport and supply chain.

◙ Operation of animal husbandry farms including poultry farms & hatcheries and livestock farming activity.

◙ Animal feed manufacturing and feed plants, including supply of raw material, such as maize and soya.

◙ Operation of animal shelter homes, including Gaushalas.

Financial sector

◙ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and RBI-regulated financial markets and entities like NPCI, CCIL, payment system operators and standalone primary dealers

◙ Bank branches and ATMs, IT vendors for banking operations, banking correspondents (BCs), ATM operation and cash management agencies

◙ Bank branches be allowed to work as per normal working hours till disbursal of DBT cash transfers is complete

◙ Local administration to provide adequate security personnel at bank branches and BCs to maintain social distancing, law and order and staggering of account holders

◙ Sebi, and capital and debt market services as notified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)

◙ IRDAI and insurance companies

Social sector

◙ Operation of homes for children/ disabled/ mentally challenged/ senior citizens/ destitutes/ women/ widows

◙ Observation homes, after care homes and places of safety for juveniles.

◙ Disbursement of social security pensions, e.g., old age/ widow/ freedom fighter pensions; pension and provident fund services provided by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)

◙ Operation of anganwadis - distribution of food items and nutrition once in 15 days at the doorsteps of beneficiaries, eg, children, women and lactating mothers. Beneficiaries will not attend the anganwadis

Online teaching/ distance learning

◙ All educational, training, coaching institutions etc. shall remain closed

◙ However, these establishments are expected to maintain the academic schedule through online teaching.

◙ Maximum use of Doordarshan (DD) and other educational channels may be made for teaching purposes.

MNREGA

◙ MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face mask.

◙ Priority to be given under MNREGA to irrigation and water conservation works

þOther central and state sector schemes in irrigation and water conservation sectors may also be allowed to be implemented and suitably dovetailed with MNREGA works.

Public utilities

◙ Operations of Oil and Gas sector, including refining, transportation, distribution, storage and retail of products, eg, petrol, diesel, kerosene, CNG, LPG, PNG etc

◙ Generation, transmission and distribution of power at Central and State/ UT levels.

Postal services

◙ Operations of utilities in water, sanitation and waste management sectors, at municipal/ local body levels in States and UTs

◙ Operation of utilities providing telecommunications and Internet services

Movement, loading/ unloading of goods/ cargo (inter and intra-state)

◙ All goods traffic will be allowed to ply

◙ Operations of railways: Transportation of goods and parcel trains

◙ Operations of airports and related facilities for air transport for cargo movement relief and evacuation.

◙ Operations of seaports and Inland Container Depots for cargo transport, including authorised customs clearing and forwarding agents

◙ Operations of land ports for cross land border transportation of essential goods, including petroleum products and LPG, food products, medical supplies.

◙ Movement of all trucks and other goods/ carrier vehicles with two drivers and one helper, subject to the driver carrying a valid driving licence; an empty truck/ vehicle will be allowed to ply after the delivery of goods, or for pick up of goods

◙ Shops for truck repairs and dhabas on highways, with a stipulated minimum distance as prescribed by the state/UT authorities.

◙ Movement of staff and contractual labour for operations of railways, airports/ air carriers, seaports/ ships/ vessels, land ports and ICDs is allowed on passes being issued by the local authority on the basis of authorisations issued by the respective designated authority of the railways, airports, seaports, land ports and ICDs.

Essential goods

◙ All facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.

◙ Shops (including kirana and single shops selling essential goods) and carts, including ration shops (under PDS), dealing with food and groceries (for daily use), hygiene items, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, poultry, meat and fish, animal feed and fodder etc, should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.

◙ District authorities may encourage and facilitate home delivery to minimise the movement of individuals outside their homes.

Commercial and private establishments

◙ Print and electronic media including broadcasting, DTH and cable services

◙ IT and IT-enabled services, with up to 50% strength

◙ Data and call centres for government activities only.

◙ Government approved common service centres (CSCs) at gram panchayat level.

◙ E-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions.

◙ Courier services

◙ Cold storage and warehousing services, including at ports, airports, railway stations, container depots, individual units and other links in the logistics chain

◙ Private security services and facilities management services for maintenance and upkeep of office and residential complexes

◙ Hotels, home stays, lodges and motels, which are accommodating tourists and persons stranded due to lockdown, medical and emergency staff, air and sea crew

◙ Establishments used/ earmarked for quarantine facilities

◙ Services provided by self-employed persons, e.g., electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics and carpenters

Industries/ Industrial establishments (both government and private)

◙ Industries operating in rural areas, ie, outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities

◙ Manufacturing and other industrial establishments with access control in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Export Oriented Units (EoUs), industrial estates, and industrial townships. These establishments shall make arrangements for stay of workers within their premises as far as possible and/ or adjacent buildings and for implementation of the standard operating protocol. The transportation of workers to work place shall be arranged by the employers in dedicated transport by ensuring social distancing

◙ Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates

◙ Food processing industries in rural areas, i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities.

◙ Production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain

◙ Manufacturing of IT hardware

◙ Coal production, mines and mineral production, their transportation, supply of explosives and activities incidental to mining operations.

◙ Manufacturing units of packaging material.

◙ Jute industries with staggered shifts and social distancing.

◙ Oil and gas exploration/ refinery.

◙ Brick kilns in rural areas i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities.

Construction activities

◙ Construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas, i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities; and all kinds of projects in industrial estates

◙ Construction of renewable energy projects

◙ Continuation of works in construction projects, within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside (in situ construction)

Movement of persons

◙ Private vehicles for emergency services, including medical and veterinary care, and for procuring essential commodities. In such cases, one passenger besides the private vehicle driver can be permitted in the backseat, in case of four-wheelers; however, in case of two-wheelers, only the driver of the vehicle is to be permitted

◙ All personnel travelling to place of work and back in the exempted categories, as per the instructions of the State/ UT local authority

Offices of the Government of India, its autonomous/ subordinate offices

◙ Defence, central armed police forces, health and family welfare, disaster management and early warning agencies (IMD, INCOIS, SASE and National Centre of Seismology, CWC), National Informatics Centre (NIC), Food Corporation of India (FCI), NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendras (NYKs) and customs to function without any restriction

◙ Other ministries and departments, and offices under their control, are to function with 100% attendance of deputy secretary and levels above that. Remaining officers and staff to attend up to 33% as per requirement.

Offices of the state/Union Territory governments, their autonomous bodies and local governments will remain open

◙ Police, home guards, civil defence, fire and emergency services, disaster management, prisons and municipal services will function without any restrictions

All other departments of state/ UT Governments to work with restricted staff. Group 'A' and 'B' officers may attend as required. Group ‘C’and levels below that may attend up to 33% of strength, as per requirement to ensure social distancing. However, delivery of public services shall be ensured, and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose

◙ District administration and treasury (including field offices of the accountant-general) will function with restricted staff. However, delivery of public services shall be ensured, and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose

◙ Resident commissioner of states/ UTs, in New Delhi, only to the extent of coordinating Covid-19 related activities and internal kitchen operations

◙ Forest offices: staff/workers required to operate and maintain zoo, nurseries, wildlife, fire-fighting in forests, watering plantations, patrolling and their necessary transport movement

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

All industrial and commercial establishments, work places, offices etc. shall put in place arrangements for implementation of the following standard operating procedures (SOPs) before starting their functioning

Entrance Gate of building, office etc, cafeteria and canteens, meeting room, conference halls/ open areas available/ verandah/ entrance gate of site, bunkers, portable cabins, building etc, equipment and lifts, washroom, toilet, sink; water points, walls/ all other surfaces.

⦾ For workers coming from outside, special transportation facility will be arranged without any dependency on the public transport system. These vehicles should be allowed to work only with 30-40% passenger capacity.

⦾ All vehicles and machinery entering the premise should be disinfected by spray mandatorily.

⦾ Mandatory thermal scanning of everyone entering and exiting the work place to be done.

⦾ Medical insurance for the workers to be made mandatory.

⦾ Provision for hand wash and sanitiser, preferably with touch-free mechanism will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas. Sufficient quantities of all the items should be available.

⦾ Work places shall have a gap of one hour between shifts and will stagger the lunch breaks of staff, to ensure social distancing.

⦾ Large gatherings or meetings of 10 or more people to be discouraged. Seating at least 6 feet away from others on job sites and in gatherings, meetings and training sessions.

⦾ Not more than 2/4 persons (depending on size) will be allowed to travel in lifts or hoists.

⦾ Use of staircase for climbing should be encouraged.

⦾ There should be strict ban of gutka, tobacco etc., and spitting should be strictly prohibited.

⦾ There should be total ban on non-essential visitors at sites.

⦾ Hospitals/clinics in the nearby areas, which are authorised to treat Covid-19 patients , should be identified and list should be available at work place all the times.