Guwahati: The Assam Government has extended the lockdown in Guwahati for one more week in wake of the rising cases of COVID-19 in Kamrup Metro.
The lockdown extension order states that “this order shall remain in force with effect from 6 PM of July 12, 2020 and shall remain in force up till 7 PM of July 19.”
Here are the set of Guidelines provided by the Assam Government :
Movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited in the specified area. Movement of all private vehicles is banned and no citizen is allowed to venture out of home with private vehicles, both two and four wheelers except for medical emergency;
2. All Government Offices, Offices of Autonomous/Subordinate Offices and Private Offices shall remain closed;
3. All business/commercial establishments, shops and trade activities shall remain closed except all stand-alone Grocery and stand-alone stationery shops dealing in personal hygiene goods are allowed to operate between 9 AM and 4 PM from Monday to Friday. Shopkeepers and customers shall have to wear masks, hand gloves and maintain social distancing. Responsibility of maintenance of social distancing will be on the shop owner and failure to do so will be viewed very seriously and may entail summery closure of defaulting shops. Maintenance of price line and prevention of artificial shortage will be the responsibility of shop keepers and Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department. Neighbourhood grocery shops are allowed to operate as per timing given above to ensure avoidance of use of private vehicles;
4. All Industrial establishments shall remain closed except continuous process industries would be allowed to function, subject to workforce staying in the premises and outwards/ inwards movement during the period of lockdown shall not be allowed;
5. All public transport services shall remain suspended;
6. All hospitality services shall remain suspended;
7. All educational, research, training, coaching institutions shall remain closed;
8. All places of worship shall remain closed for public. No religious congregation will be permitted without any exception;
9.Allsocial/political/sports/entertainment/academic/cultural/religious functions, gathering shall be barred;
10. Not more than 20 persons will be permitted in case of funerals;
11. All non-essential and avoidable movement of people shall be banned;
12.Spitting in public places is banned and will be punishable with fine, as may be prescribed by the local authority in accordance with its laws, rules or regulations.
13.Consumption and sale of liquor, paan, gutka, tobacco etc.in public places are prohibited.
Exceptions
1. Defence, Central and State Police forces, Establishment of the District Magistrate, Commissioner of Police, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire & Emergency Services, Disaster Management, Electricity, Water, Sanitation, Municipal bodies (only staff required for essential services like sanitation, water supply etc.) will be allowed to function;
2. Hospitals and retail medical establishments along with pharmaceutical and medical equipment supply activities are permitted with maximum 20% of workforce and strictly ensuring that no outside labourers are engaged;
3. House to house sale of fruits and vegetables etc. shall be allowed between 8 AM and 2 PM on five days a week between Monday and Friday. Deputy Commissioner shall identify vendors and allow specified vehicles in designated areas to sale all perishable items;
4. E-commerce activities supplying fruits, vegetables and other essential items are allowed to operate only between 10 AM and 4 PM from Monday to Friday;
5. Warehouses storing milk and milk products are allowed to operate on all days with workforce remaining inside the premises;
6. Tea warehouses are allowed to operate from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM with workforce remaining inside the premises. Operation of tea tasting, sampling, brokering, and warehousing activities are allowed to function with 20% of total work force.
7. Operation of physical activities of Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) including e-auction are allowed with 20% of the total work force.
8. All Agricultural implements supply and maintenance activities are allowed five days a week from Monday to Friday between 10 AM and 4 PM;
9. Bakeries are allowed to operate four days a week from Tuesday to Friday between 10 AM and 4 PM;
10. Only 10 (ten) % of Bank and Insurance Company branches in the District with skeletal attendance and ATMs shall operate. Highest Authority of the Banks/ Insurance Companies shall determine the specific branches and give wide publicity of open bank branches;
11. Print and electronic media including newspaper distribution are allowed. However, it is advised that minimum number of persons shall only come out in the open;
12. Telecommunications, Internet services, broadcasting and cable services, IT and IT enabled services to continue. However, personnel engaged in these services are allowed to work from home only. Only emergency repair crew would be allowed movement subject to prior permission/ pass from appropriate authority;
13. Power generation, transmission and distribution units and services shall continue with persons with specifically assigned duties being allowed to come out;
14. Transportation of essential goods, vehicles of Health, Fire, Law & Order and Emergency Services are allowed;
15. All transport services and movement of people from other districts shall remain suspended except that connected to COVID functions. Inter-state movement shall also remain suspended except with prior permissions/ pass;
16. People (Interstate and inter District movement) holding train/air tickets to and from Guwahati as well to Guwahati shall be allowed to move only on production of such tickets at check points;
17. Hotels which are accommodating quarantined persons, medical and emergency staff, air crew shall operate with skeletal service;
18. Establishments used /earmarked for quarantine facilities shall operate;
19. All officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and above shall attend office in Assam Secretariat regularly. Other officers and employees shall be asked to attend office on need based instruction issued by the senior-most secretary of the Department. Directors shall decide on the number of skeletal officers and staff to attend for functioning of Directorates.
20. Government officers and employees who are directed specifically by their Controlling Officers will only be allowed with documentary evidence of such permission / orders. Rest of Government functionaries shall work from home. Only those Government officers and employees connected with the aforementioned exempted categories would be allowed to come to office/ workplaces.
21. Milk, baby food, medicines and water supply are allowed in areas and at all times;
22. Railway offices and persons directly linked with operation of passenger and goods trains shall be allowed to operate on being so assigned;
23. Whole sellers and warehouses of essential items are allowed to operate between 9 AM and 6 PM from Monday to Friday with workforce remaining inside the premises. Transportation of essential items is allowed from warehouses to outside the district and retailers in the district and from Railway yards on the same days and time;
24. Only identified Petrol pumps, gas agencies would be allowed to be operational during Lockdown. LPG agencies shall distribute products at Customers’ homes only.
25. Petroleum products to other districts would be allowed to move through Highways.
26. Agricultural and Tea garden activities shall continue with social distancing.
27. Animal care centres are allowed to open from Monday to Friday. Animal Welfare Societies/ groups are allowed to operate with permission from Deputy Commissioner;
28. Lockdown permissions/ passes issued earlier stand cancelled. Fresh permissions /passes shall have to be obtained from competent authority. No pass shall be required for day long movement of suppliers of vegetable from outside the district to deliver fruits, vegetables and other essential and perishable goods in Kamrup Metropolitan from other districts;
29. All Flour Mills are allowed to operate from Monday to Friday between 10 AM and 4 PM with workforce remaining inside the premises.
No person(s) shall be allowed to venture out simply on the ground of being employed in the exempted category of services. The permissions granted to persons/ services/ activities as given above may be withdrawn at any time without assigning any reason and/or advance notice. The extent of validity of this order may be modified depending on analysis of ground reality as and when required. All other activities other than specified as exempted above shall remain prohibited in the entire area until further orders;
Provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizer will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas. Wearing of face cover is compulsory in public places, in workplaces and during transport etc. Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.
Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metropolitan is directed to:
a) Identify elderly citizens and sick persons at home and put in place a mechanism to ensure availability of critical care where required;
b) Ensure supply of essential food items as GR to the poorest of the society. For the purpose, Deputy Commissioner shall utilise the services of Social Welfare Department and non- essential staff of GMC and GMDA. Passes shall also be issued to NGOs willing to supply cooked food to the poor.
The Commissioner of Police / District Magistrate of Kamrup Metropolitan shall very strictly enforce the above measures without any dilution as these measures are put in place to avoid dangers to a large group of public. These officers are at liberty to invoke other legal provisions to enforce strict lockdown on being so satisfied of necessity.
Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable.
Addressing a press meet in Guwahati in the evening Assam Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Though many citizen forums of Guwahati proposed lockdown extension for two more weeks, we have informed the chief secretary that lockdown for one more week needed. Thereafter, restricted activities may be allowed.”
The 14-day lockdown which was imposed on June 28 in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district will end on July 12.
