Health workers wearing protective gear arrive at a containment zone for door-to-door thermal screening to detect Covid-19 positive cases in Kolkata, Saturday, May 02, 2020. (PTI Photo: Swapan Mahapatra)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Saturday issued a notification permitting taxis and cab aggregators to ply in orange zones, with one driver and two passengers. It also said inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles, only for permitted activities, and with maximum two passengers besides the driver in four wheeler vehicles, would be allowed.

These activities were not allowed in the initial guidelines announced by the government the previous day for the third phase of lockdown from May 4.

The MHA said inter-district and intra-district plying of buses would remain prohibited in orange zones.

The nationwide lockdown will extend for two additional weeks till May 18, but there are considerable relaxations in green and orange zones. Individual states are allowed permit lesser number of activities after assessment of the situation. (Here is the list of activities permitted in each zone)

The country has been divided into three zones — red, green and orange — depending on the number of coronavirus cases.

There are several key relaxations in the green and orange zones including opening of markets except shopping malls, and offices; operation of factories and industries; movement of public; services of domestic helps, barber shops and other self-employed people; sale of non-essential commodities by e-commerce platforms.