Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has issued guidelines to start the “unlock” process and eased certain restrictions from Wednesday as cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) have come down in the state. However, exemption for various activities will be given only in areas where the positivity rate is less than 10 per cent or the use of oxygen, intensive care unit (ICU) and ventilator beds is less than 60 per cent, Ashok Gehlot has said.
“The rate of infection has come down in the state but is not completely eradicated yet. Keeping this in mind, in the new guideline, people of the state are expected to ensure effective compliance of the Covid protocols,” Ashok Gehlot said in a tweet in Hindi on Monday.
“In order to ensure the convenience of the general public and the availability of essential services and goods, limited relaxation has been given for various activities. As and when the number of active cases will come down, the scope of exemption will increase further,” he added.
Also read | Bikaner’s oxygen mitra model gets PM Narendra Modi’s praise
Gram panchayats and districts have been divided into three categories—green, yellow and red—according to the number of positive case of the coronavirus disease in the new guidelines. Gram panchayats which will not have a single positive case will be in the green category, those with less than five active cases will be under yellow and those with more than five active cases will be kept in the red category.
Under the the “three-tier public discipline modified lockdown”, all government offices of the state will open from 9:30am to 4pm with the presence of 25 per cent employees till June 7, and after that with 50 per cent employees. Private offices can be opened up to 2pm with 25 per cent of they employees.
Those travelling from within a district in their personal vehicles have been allowed from 5am to 12pm and after June 8, traffic will be allowed in the entire state from 5am to 12pm.
Also read | Rajasthan woman claims receiving two jabs of vaccine on same day, doctors deny
The weekend curfew will remain in force every Friday afternoon from 12pm to 5am Tuesday till the number of active cases in the state reduces to 10,000. A “public discipline curfew” will continue on the rest of the days from 12pm to 5am the next day.
All educational, coaching institutions, libraries etc. will remain closed. No public, social, political, sports-related entertainment, educational, cultural and religious functions, processions, festivals, fairs or market will be allowed. Cinema halls, theatres, multiplexes, auditoriums, swimming pools, amusement parks, picnic spots, all types of sports grounds and public parks and similar places will remain closed. Fully air-conditioned shopping complexes, malls will not be allowed to open at present.
Also read | Harsh Vardhan writes to Rajasthan health minister over ‘wastage’ of vaccine jabs
Rajasthan recorded 68 Covid-19 fatalities and 1498 new cases on Monday, taking the states death toll and case tally to 8385 and 9,39,958 respectively, a health bulletin showed. Jaipur reported the highest number of deaths at 18 followed by Udaipur with eight, Bikaner and Sriganganagar five each, according to the bulletin.
