Cars, buses, auto rickshaws, and all passenger vehicles will be allowed to move in Chandigarh without passes, only after UT coordinates with Punjab/Haryana and Himachal on Monday. (Express File Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)
WITH LOCKDOWN 4.0 in place till May 31, cars, buses, cabs, auto rickshaws, two wheelers and all passenger vehicles will be allowed to move in the Tricity without passes, only after UT coordinates with Punjab/Haryana and Himachal on Monday, in the war room meeting. Till then status quo will continue in Chandigarh.
After receiving the guidelines from the Ministry of Home affairs, UT said that all shops in markets will be allowed to open, but with riders which they will decide in the Standard Operative procedure which will be discussed in the meeting on Monday. Restaurants will be allowed to conduct only home delivery.
Sources said that the odd-even scheme implemented in shops is likely to be done away with. However, malls will remain closed.
The Chandigarh administration will hold a meeting on Monday and issue a final SOP.
“We will take a call tomorrow on various issues like number of passengers to be allowed in four wheelers or even the pillion riders on two wheelers, cabs or autos. Decision on permitting shops, those on sector dividing roads basically the main roads, salons will all be taken tomorrow in the meeting,” said UT Adviser, Manoj Parida.
Administration officials said that they require more clarity on certain issues from the MHA, which will be done soon.
For shops, timings have to be decided as the directives mention that staggering of work/ business hours will be followed in offices, work places, shops, markets and industrial or commercial establishments. Provision of thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizers is a must at entry and exit points. Shops have to ensure minimum six feet distance among customers and not allow more than five persons in the shop at a time.
It stated that practice of work from home should be followed, as far as possible.
Hotels welcome move, say timing an issue
As the Ministry of Home affairs issued directions that hotels will be permitted home delivery of food, the Chandigarh hospitality Association welcomed the move, saying that it was a big respite to them.
Other than that, hotels and all other hospitality services will remain closed and won’t be allowed to function.
Ankit Gupta, President of the Chandigarh Hospitality association said that they requested for the timings of home delivery to be extended till 10 pm. “We request if the UT can allow home delivery till 10 pm, because most customers order food during dinner time. We won’t get the benefit of this if we can’t deliver food say after 5pm or 7 pm,” said Gupta.
Adding that staffing was a concern, he said that the administration should issue guidelines on the protocol to be followed in the hotel sector.
What is prohibited
All cultural, academic, religious, entertainment gatherings are prohibited. Also, places of worship, schools, colleges, malls, cinemas, gyms will remain closed.