Standalone shops, as well as markets of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in Gurgaon, will be allowed to operate between 7 am and 7 pm from Monday. (Express File Photo by Abhinav Saha)
Standalone shops, as well as markets of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in Gurgaon, will be allowed to operate between 7 am and 7 pm from Monday, along with salons and beauty parlours, as the nationwide lockdown enters its third phase.
“Residents, including domestic help, will be allowed movement between 7 am and 7 pm, and mohalla markets and sector markets will also be allowed to remain open. However, shopping malls as well as designated markets that are congested marketplaces — such as Galleria market, Sector 29, and Sadar Bazaar — will not be permitted to open,” said VS Kundu, the monitoring officer appointed by the state for COVID-19 in Gurgaon.
Deputy Commissioner Amit Khatri said that any shops open during the remaining length of the lockdown will have to abide by the COVID-19 protocol and follow social distancing and preventive measures, such as use of face masks and hand sanitisers.
“Orders have also been issued for Gurgaon district on the basis of the guidelines issued by the state government’s Department of Industries and Commerce regarding the operation of industries and other establishments in lockdown 3,” said Khatri.
Khatri also explained which industrial operations can resume outside containment zones. “Since Gurgaon is in the orange zone, in the first week, all industries in industrial areas, rural areas, e-commerce industries, and urban and municipal areas can operate with 50 per cent staff if they are IT or ITES companies, or e-commerce companies, and with 75 per cent staff if they are general industries,” he said.
“In the second week of the lockdown, IT and ITES companies and e-commerce companies can operate with 75 per cent staff, while other industries can operate with 100 per cent staff,” he added.
In order to start operations, officials said all types of industrial units, entrepreneurs and other establishments must apply for passes for their employees on the Saral Haryana portal. As part of the application, they will have to give undertakings about following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 1. They will also have to provide information about their ancillaries and ancillary units so that their supply chains can be restored.
“Immediate and self generated approval will be received as soon as the application is submitted. Initially the passes will be issued to the employees on a weekly basis for a fixed period, that is from May 4 to May 10 and then May 11 to May 17,” said Khatri.
Elaborating on the passes that will be issued, he said, “Triangular sign passes will be issued to the suppliers of essential items in the containment zone, and rectangular passes will be issued to personnel working in zones other than the containment zone. If employees reside within the factory premises, they will not be issued any passes.”
Officials said action will be taken against anyone violating these orders under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, as well as Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Gurgaon, Faridabad cases highest among Haryana districts
Gurgaon has recorded 73 cases COVID-19. Six of these were recorded on Sunday. Among them, is a Delhi Police officer residing in Gurgaon, authorities said.
Faridabad also recorded 7 new cases on Sunday, and now has the same number of cases as Gurgaon: 73, which is the highest among the districts in Haryana.
“Those who have tested positive today including two health workers at the ESIC hospital, which is the COVID hospital in the district,” said a spokesperson of the Faridabad district administration.
“From the remaining, two are relatives of a pharmacist at Max Hospital, who had tested positive earlier this week, and one is a person who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Nizamuddin in March. The latter had earlier tested negative but his sample was collected again and has now returned positive,” he said.
Of the 73 who have tested positive in the district, 42 have so far been discharged, while one person has succumbed to the infection.
Apart from Gurgaon and Faridabad, Sunday saw two new cases of COVID-19 emerge in Palwal, a district which had not seen any new cases since April 19.
“A Nuh resident who is a police officer in Palwal has tested positive for the coronavirus today. His sample had been taken along with that of several others on duty in containment zones or hotspots in the district,” said Dr Brahmadeep Singh, Chief Medical Officer, Palwal.
The other person who has tested positive works at a health institute in Faridabad. Officials said that he was tested after a team conducting door to door screening arrived at his home and suspected he may have contracted the infection.
Palwal has now recorded a total of 36 COVID-19 cases, of which only four are undergoing treatment and 32 have recovered.