Dynamite News Lockdown 5: Indian states rush to identify high-risk zones to remain in lockdown
Indian states on Sunday began identifying high-risk zones where coronavirus lockdowns should continue while the rest of country gears up to reopen in June despite a record rise in COVID-19 cases, officials said.
New Delhi: Indian states on Sunday began identifying high-risk zones where coronavirus lockdowns should continue while the rest of country gears up to reopen in June despite a record rise in COVID-19 cases, officials said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has extended lockdown until June 30 in so-called containment zones that should remain under lockdown because they continue to report a high number of infections.
But restaurants, malls and religious buildings are permitted to reopen elsewhere from June 8 as India loosens the world’s longest lockdown to curb the spread of the spread of the pandemic.
India has reported 182,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 5,164 deaths.
In Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, a health official said 1,111 containment zones has been identified, while authorities in Gujarat said that more than 400,000 houses were marked as high-risk zones.
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Officials in Maharastra said all markets, except malls and congested spaces, will be allowed to function in a staggered manner.
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West Bengal identified 285 containment zones in its capital, Kolkata.
In a radio address to the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned citizens to remain vigilant.
“The fight against the coronavirus is intense, we cannot drop our guard,” he said.
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The number of cases reached a daily record high in the past 48 hours, two months after the federal government enforced a rigid lockdown to stop the pandemic from spreading in a country of more than 1.3 billion people.
Critics said Modi had now left states with the responsibility of establishing rules to contain the virus. (Reuters)