On Thursday, the government announced new rules to allow the national COVID- 19 lockdown to slowly open shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, and worship places. The policy, which takes effect from Monday, includes steps such as staggering visitors to malls and no touching of religious icons at religious places. For offices that have been allowed to reopen in the past few weeks, detailed rules have also been issued. However, all facilities which are subject to containment areas remain closed as previously announced.
Temperature tests are a must at entry points. The health ministry says in its guidelines that visitors will only be accepted when using the face cover or masks which are to be worn at all times. Cinemas, games and play areas for children will be closed in these institutions, it added.
The physical distance from the entrance and inside should be kept to a minimum of 6 feet, while the number of people at malls should be kept to a minimum. The number of people in the elevators should also be that and it should be encouraged to use escalators with one person for certain moves.
Often touched areas should be washed and disinfected periodically, such as the doorknobs, lift keys, handrails, and washroom appliances. Toilets should be regularly deep cleaned.
The Ministry limited the seating capacity to 50 percent for restaurants and center food courts and advised the use of disposable menus. The use of disposable paper serviettes should be promoted instead of cloth napkins.
The Ministry said it should follow the guidelines for air conditioning and ventilation of the Central Public Working Department (CPWD), stressing that all air conditioners must set temperature in the range of 24-30 °C, have relative humidity in the range of 40-70 percent and have fresh air intake as much as possible.
Many steps should be taken by workers of organizations at greater risk – including older employees or employees with pregnancies and medical conditions. It also called for the encouragement of contactless ordering and digital payment by hotels and restaurant owners.
The government requested hotels and hospitality providers to ensure the correct background and medical records of the client, along with the identification and self-declaration form.
The Home Ministry said last week ‘Unlock-1’ would roll out across the country from the 8th of June under which the national lockdown that has come into effect from the 25th of March will be significantly reduced, including the opening of shopping centers, restaurants, and religious sites.
