Dos And Donts In A Lockdown

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Dos And Don'ts In A Lockdown

The Logical Indian attempts to answer all your questions on lockdown.

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The number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 415 on Monday, March 23 with the Centre now resorting to legal action against the violators. According to The Indian Express report, the violators will be fined ₹1000 fine or a may face a jail term up to six months.

In an effort to break the chain of transmission, the nation prepared for an extended lockdown as 13 states announced a complete lockdown till the end of the month and the Centre announced a lockdown in 80 cities across India. Several people are still confused about the services and facilities they can avail, and what others are prohibited during a lockdown.

The Logical Indian attempts to answer all your questions on lockdown.

What Is A Lockdown?

Lockdown is an emergency measure or condition in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area or building (such as a school) during a threat of danger, in this case, the transmission of a virus.

Essential services like grocery stores, pharmacies and banks are usually operational during this time.

Where Is The Lockdown Happening?

The Central government has recommended a lockdown in 75 districts in 22 states and Union Territories from March 23.

The Centre has identified the following districts for a lockdown:

  1. Andhra Pradesh: Prakasam, Vijayawada and Vizag
  2. Chandigarh: Chandigarh
  3. Chhattisgarh: Raipur
  4. Delhi: Central, East Delhi, North Delhi, North West Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi and West Delhi
  5. Gujarat: Kutchh, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad
  6. Haryana: Faridabad, Sonepat, Panchkula, Panipat and Gurugram
  7. Himachal Pradesh: Kangra
  8. Jammu & Kashmir: Srinagar and Jammu
  9. Karnataka: Bengaluru, Chikkaballapura, Mysore, Kodagu and Kalaburgi
  10. Kerala: Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kottayam, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur
  11. Ladakh: Kargil and Leh
  12. Madhya Pradesh: Jabalpur
  13. Maharashtra: Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Mumbai Suburb, Pune, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane and Yavatmal
  14. Odisha: Khurda
  15. Puducherry: Mahe
  16. Punjab: Hoshiarpur, SAS Nagar and SBS Nagar
  17. Rajasthan: Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Jaipur
  18. Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Erode and Kanchipuram
  19. Telangana: Bhadradri Kothagudem, Hyderabad, Medchal, Rangareddy and Sangareddy
  20. Uttar Pradesh: Agra, GB Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Lakhimpur Kheri and Lucknow
  21. Uttarakhand: Dehradun
  22. West Bengal: Kolkata and North 24 Parganas

Can't I Step Out Of Home At All?

Citizens are supposed to stay at home and come out only for essential activities. Social Distancing guidelines must be followed when venturing outside.

What Essential Activities Are Included?

Procurement of basic necessities such as food, medicines or for tackling emergencies.

Shops, commercial establishments not providing essential amenities will be closed.

According to a PTI report, Delhi is exempting these services: "Law and order and magisterial duty, police, health, fire, prisons, fair price shops, electricity, water, municipal services, print and electronic media, teller operations including ATMs, food items, groceries, general provision stores, takeaway delivery in restaurants, petrol pumps, LPG cylinder agencies, e-commerce of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment."

Medicine shops, optical stores, pharmaceutical manufacturing and their transportation will remain open.

Hospitals will remain open.

Can I Go To Work?

Almost all the major cities in the country have directed private companies to let employees work from home. All offices will remain shut or work with minimal staff until the end of the lockdown period.

The central and several state governments have announced relief packages for daily-wage earners and other temporary workers.

You can go to work if your work provides any of the following essential services:

  1. Law, court or any other correctional service
  2. Health service
  3. Police, armed forces and paramilitary forces
  4. Electricity, water services
  5. Fire and emergency services
  6. Telecom, internet, IT and postal services
  7. Banks and ATMs
  8. Food, groceries, meat, fish, bread, milk, storage and transportation
  9. E-commerce of groceries, home delivery
  10. Petrol pumps, LPG, oil agencies, godowns, transportation
  11. Pharmaceutical manufacturing and transportation
  12. However, any congregation of more than 7 people is prohibited in public places.

What About Transportation?

No public transport service including taxis and auto-rickshaws are permitted. Private cars are also included in this.

Vehicles to and from hospitals, airports, railway stations, bus stands, terminals and goods carriers ferrying food and other essential commodities and exempted.

The railway ministry has separately halted passenger trains till March 31.

What Happens If I Break A Rule?

You could be punished with simple imprisonment for a term that may extend up to one month or with a fine which may extend to Rs 200, or with both.

What Is The Legal Ground Behind These Rules?

Section 2 of The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, gives the government the power to take special measures and prescribe regulations necessary to contain the spread of the disease.

Section 3 of the Act allows the government to impose a penalty on the person flouting any rule made under the Act.

Who Is Incharge?

All district magistrates, police commissioners. Municipal commissioners, SPs, ADMs, CMOHs, SDOs, BDOs are authorized to take necessary measures for implementing the rules of lockdown.

How To Safeguard At Home?

Now isn't a time for panic, but it is a time for preparation.

Cleaning:

Keeping your living quarters, personal appliances, and surfaces clean is a necessity now. Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. After washing your hands, you dry them on a bathroom towel, make sure it is laundered often Disinfectant wipes can be used to clean surfaces of phones, laptops, electronic devices, and other household equipment to clean the virus if present.

Food, groceries, necessities

Refrain from panic buying, consider buying, shelf-stable food: rice and dry beans. Coffee or tea is good to have on hand. A first aid kit: hospitals might cancel non-emergency surgeries. Cuts can be treated at home with gauze to stop the bleeding.

Combat Boredom:

Dive into an activity you can do at home.

Working-from-home: Arrange for a desk and a chair that's comfortable and a wifi hotspot.

Also Read: "Not Just Lockdown, We Need Strict Public Health Measures": WHO Expert On COVID-19 Outbreak

Contributors Suggest Correction
Editor : Shubhendu Deshmukh
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By : Aditi Chattopadhyay

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