Unlock 5.0 Guidelines to Be Out Soon: All Eyes on Cinema Halls, International Air Travel, Tourism, Educational Institutions; Here’s What to Expect in the Next Phase of Unlock From October 1

New Delhi, September 28: India is set to enter Unlock 5.0 from October 1. The fourth phase of the coronavirus lockdown relaxations announced by the government will end on Wednesday, September 30. The Central government is yet to announce new guidelines regarding the next phase of unlock across the country. However, several new relaxations are expected for this next phase of unlock, where all eyes are on the reopening of cinema halls, tourism, international air travel among other things. People are expecting that in the next phase, the Centre would open up more activities for the public. The new guidelines that will be imposed will be based on feedback received from the states and UTs.

In Unlock 4.0, which came into effect from September 1 and would last till September 30, the MHA had said that cinema halls, swimming pools and theatres, excluding open air theatres, will remain shut till September 30. Moreover, international air travel, except as permitted by the MHA, will remain suspended, it had said. In India, the Unlock process had begun on June 1 in a phased manner with reopening of commercial, social, religious and other activities. West Bengal Allows Cinema Halls To Reopen From October 1.

International Air Travel

In Unlock 5.0, international air travel is likely to see some relaxations. The MHA had in August said that international air travel, except as permitted by the MHA, will remain suspended till September 30. However, all eyes are on the next set of guidelines that will be issued by the government in a day or two for Unlock 5.0.

Cinema Halls

Earlier, the government had allowed opening up of restaurants, malls, salons, and gyms raising hopes of reopening more economic activities from October with physical distancing norms. There have been rumours that the Centre might allow the reopening of cinema halls from October 1. However, it will only be clear once the government issues fresh set of guidelines for Unlock 5.0. In August, Amit Khare, Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary had suggested the MHA a sitting arrangement formula for movie theatres.

Festive Season and Tourism

As the country is set to enter the festive season, speculations are rife that the government would announce a series of relaxations and open up more activities for common man in Unlock 5.0. Tourist destinations across India are now opening up for visitors after a long gap. The  tourism sector has been the worst-hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown since March 2020. In Unlock 5.0, fresh relaxations are expected to be rolled out for tourists. 

Academic Activities

In Unlock 4.0, several academic activities had resumed in the country. Schools had resumed operations from September 21, where students of Class 9-12 were allowed to visit schools. The MHA had said that the students of classes 9 to 12 may be allowed to visit schools outside Containment Zones with parents' written consent. More relaxations are likely in the next phase of unlocking that will come into effect from October 1. Earlier, while issuing the guidelines for Unlock 4, the MHA had specified that individual states cannot impose lockdowns on their own without consulting the Centre.

Number of People Likely to Be Increased for Social Gatherings

In Unlock 4, the number of people attending social,  academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious, political functions and other congregations was permitted with a ceiling of 100 people, with effect from September 21. In the next phase, the number is expected to be increased. The MHA said lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in Containment Zones till September 30.

On September 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a high-level virtual meeting with Chief Ministers and health ministers of seven states which have reported very high number of coronavirus cases to discuss the further plan of action. These include Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Punjab. The Prime Minister told the CMs to implement the idea of 'micro-containment' zones and advised them to refrain from imposing lockdowns and curfews for one or two days a week.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2020 12:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).