As suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the government has issued a new set of guidelines for the second round of lockdown, giving relaxation in some sectors even as most services will remain shut. The revised guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday, revealing the measures to be taken by ministries, government departments, state and Union Territory (UT) governments for the containment of COVID-19.

Who gets relief?

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In a major relief to the common man, several relaxations have been granted in phase two of the lockdown till May 3. Hotels, homestays catering to those stranded due to the lockdown have been exempted. Services provided by individuals for IT repairs, motor mechanics, plumbers and carpenters will also be allowed to operate normally.

What will remain shut?

The guidelines state that all kinds of public transport will remain closed and also prohibited opening of public places during this period. Inter-state, inter-district movement of people, metro, bus services will remain banned till May 3, the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines said.

Educational institutions, coaching centres, domestic, international air travel, train services will also remain suspended till this time, it said. Public places like cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, bars will also be shut till May 3, the new lockdown period declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

All social, political, sports, religious functions, religious places, places of worship shall be closed for public till May 3, it said.

The nation-wide lockdown is aimed to contain the spread of the pandemic. The total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India mounted to 11,439 stated the data published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. Of these, 9,756 are active cases of COVID-19, 1,305 individuals have recovered and discharged from the hospital, one person migrated to another country and 377 people succumbed to the disease.