Unlock 5: States may decide on opening schools, colleges after Oct 15

The government on Wednesday said states may decide on reopening schools and colleges after October 15, announcing its fifth phase of restarting activities that halted when the country went into a lockdown on March 25 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

"Students may attend schools with the written consent of parents. Attendance must not be enforced, and must depend entirely on parental consent,” said home ministry guidelines popularly called Unlock 5.

Containment zones will continue under strict lockdowns till October 31 but states can't impose lockdowns outside them. The home ministry also said cinema halls, multiplexes, exhibition halls and entertainment parks will be allowed to re-open but with restriction on numbers.

States and union territories "have been given the flexibility" to permit gatherings of more 100 people outside containment zones after October 15 and under social distancing rules, said the guidelines about cultural/ religious/ political functions and other congregations. The rule on public gatherings is important in view of Bihar assembly elections October 28, November 3 and 7. 

The ban on international air travel will continue, "except as permitted" by the home ministry. 
 

Restaurants have opened up, Metro services have resumed in all but two cities that have services, and the number of scheduled flights has increased under the home ministry’s previous unlocking guidelines since June 1.

India has the second highest virus cases globally despite seeing one of the strictest of lockdowns and cases are still rising as the economy gradually opens up.

Rating agency Standard and Poor’s reaffirmed on Friday India’s long-term sovereign rating at the lowest investment grade for the second time in four months on Friday, and it said it expects the economy to rebound from the impact of the pandemic.

The country's economy will experience a record contraction in the fiscal year to March 2021 on account of the global Covid-19 pandemic but real GDP will recover significantly in FY22, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting with seven chief ministers last week, asked states to assess the economic impact of 1-2-day lockdowns that several states have been imposing.

“The lockdown that was imposed across the country has helped in gaining some measure of control over infection rates and boosting capacity. But from now on, micro containment is the way to go, with minimum disruption to everyday activity. State governments should take a call on their own whether local lockdowns for a day or two have been efficacious,” he had said.