New Delhi, May 17: The National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA) issued a letter to all central ministers, departments and state governments informing the extension of lockdown till May 31. The disaster management body has also directed its National Executive Committee (NEC) to issue modifications in guidelines to permit certain economic activities in non-containment areas. COVID-19 Live Tracker: Map The Spread of Coronavirus in All States of India.

The order was issued by the NDMA in accordance to the powers conferred upon it under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The statement came hours before the current phase of lockdown was scheduled to expire. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to share the revised list of guidelines for the fourth round of restrictions.

See Statement Issued by NDMA

The guidelines on "lockdown 4" is expected to be shared by Union cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba in his video-call with State Chief Secretaries later today. The video conference is scheduled at 9 pm. The state governments have already submitted their suggestions to the Centre on how the next round of lockdown should come into effect.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Tuesday, said the lockdown would be continued but relaxations would be granted to resume economic activities. He claimed the lockdown guidelines would be designed after incorporating the concerns and suggestions of all states and union territories.

Update by ANI

The lockdown in India first came into effect on March 25, on a sudden notice of four hours before the midnight. All economic activities, transport facilities and public movement was barred during phase one of the shutdown. Only essential services were exempted.

The second round of lockdown came into effect from April 14, and saw relaxations implemented from April 20 in districts designated as orange and green. From May 4, the restrictions were further eased and standalone shops were permitted to re-open in all districts barring the containment zones.

Even as the intensity of lockdown is being downscaled, India is recording a continuous ascent in number of coronavirus cases. The overall tally crossed 90,000 today, with the number of active infections peaking to 53,946 and recoveries reaching 34,109. The death toll stands at 2,872.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2020 06:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).