• Arvind Kejriwal had sought approval from the Prime Minister to leave the Containment Zone and start business elsewhere.
• Some other states are also preparing to start economic activities in lockdown phase-4.

The country has a lockdown since 25 March. Three phases have taken place. The fourth will begin on 18 May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has announced this. He also said that Phase-4 will be in new colors and forms. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and some other states are seeking approval to start business activities. Rail, road and air travel have started at different levels. The PM had a 6-hour video conferencing with chief ministers last week. Many suggestions were received in this. 

Here, let’s look at the preparations of some states for Phase-4. This can give an idea as to what are the prospects for the new and fourth round of lockdown there.

Delhi

CM Kejriwal sent a proposal to the PMO. Accordingly, business activities in non-containment zones should be approved. On Thursday, Kejriwal told the media – I have taken feedback from the public. Restrictions in non-containment zones should be reduced. Strict monitoring is necessary on the red zone.

Kerala

Tourism is a major source of income here. The state government has sought approval from the Center to restart the metro, local trains, domestic flights, restaurants and hotels. The first case of infection in India was reported in this state. So far 560 cases have been reported. 500 are healthy. Four have died.

Karnataka

Here also the demand of the government is similar to Kerala. The government wants to reopen restaurants, hotels and gyms. Life was affected due to the lockdown. The government says that it will inspire people for social distancing. There are 959 active cases in the state. 1 thousand 518 are in Isolation. The pubs and bars were opened last week. But, there is only purchase facility from here. Customers will not be able to sit.

Tamil Nadu

Here the AIADMK government has sought approval to start the business activity by leaving the Containment Zone. 2 thousand 600 people were infected with a vegetable market in Chennai. The state government claims that it has identified suspicious areas. 4 thousand 623 people are quarantine. Work has already been approved to start work in some sectors.

Gujarat

9 thousand 591 cases have been reported in the state. 586 people have died. Gujarat is the center of business activities. Especially urban areas. Ahmedabad, Surat and Baroda are closed. The problem is that these three cities account for 80 percent of the total cases of the state. This is the home state of Modi and Amit Shah. It will be very challenging to handle the situation here. There are 2 lakh 8 thousand 537 people in Quarantine.

Maharashtra

More than a thousand have died. More than 30 thousand are infected. Mumbai and Pune are the worst affected. Despite this, the government is going to give relief in some places in Mumbai. Some offices have opened, or may be opened. 16 thousand cases have been reported in Mumbai. There are one thousand 289 containment zones in the state. Three million people are quarantine. Resuming operations in India’s economic capital may prove risky at the moment.

Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha

Strict lockdown continues in all three states. Cases are also increasing. When migrant laborers returned from other states, the cases increased somewhat. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already said that the lockdown in the state will remain till May 31. Nitish said – The district administration will decide to relax. There are 994 cases in Bihar. Seven people have died. Jharkhand has 197 cases and three deaths. There are 611 cases in Odisha. Three people have died.

Uttar Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh

UP is also a big challenge for the central government. There are 3 thousand 902 cases here. 88 have died. There are over two lakh quarantines. There are one thousand 935 cases in Punjab. 32 have died. There are 40 thousand quarantines. Here CM Amarinder Singh is seeking to increase the lockdown. In the meeting with Modi, the captain said – I will consider imposing curfew in the state.

Assam

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is also suggesting continuation of lockdown like Captain Amarinder. However, he also said that he would wait for the Centre’s order. He said – It is not just a matter of one step. We have to take many steps. We will wait for the guidelines of the Center for this.