Some of us might even have a feeling of being in a video game and completing several levels to reach the checkpoints like UNLOCK 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0. And definitely most of us are extremely excited about the announcement of UNLOCK 4.0 than when we heard about the releasing of the movie 2.0. Everyone wished for a big vacation and of course our wish was fulfilled but at what cost? No one wished for a vacation like this. It seems more like a punishment at this point. But as we all know, punishments are always given to bring some kind of betterment, here the betterment can be noticed by the increasing recovery rate of 76.29%. Meanwhile, the government made the announcement of UNLOCK 4.0 and the only question that may arise in your mind is that would you be able to meet your friends and have some hot vadapavs on the streets? So, let’s continue discussing about the guidelines of this new UNLOCK 4.0 and you might even find the answers to all your questions regarding this unlock.
Being the fourth phase of unlock there are expectations on easing of lockdown restrictions in the country and it starts with reducing the travelling restrictions. There’s no longer any curtailment to inter-state and inter-district movement. A person will be allowed to travel without the need for a valid movement pass. Road travelling restrictions are seemed to be reduced to its minimum throughout the country though it is mandatory to keep on wearing the mask even while travelling in a vehicle. But still the movement in the hotspot zones will be regulated by the government authorities. The government is also planning to resume malls, restaurants and hotels back to provide their regular services to the customers while maintaining all the precautionary measures like to avoid crowding of customers, wearing of a mask and a proper dispensary system for sanitation. The basic aim of this UNLOCK 4.0 is to bring the economy back on track after the terrible impact on all the businesses due to COVID-19. However, this UNLOCK 4.0 does not allow many services which includes all the multiplexes in malls. It has been reported that there are chances to reopen multiplex theatres from the next month. For now, the government is likely to allow standalone cinema halls with following the guidelines of strict social distancing and sanitisation rules, which includes alternate rows seating with a gap of 3 seats in the same row and keeping the temperature above 24 degrees as mentioned in the guidelines.
All the Metro and local train lovers might find the next news quiet exciting. Yes, here we are talking about the lifting of restrictions on Metro and local trains. It was reported that the restricted metro services may resume in September for 15 days on a trial basis. Each coach will only allow 50 passengers to travel. Talking of local train services, before the lockdown was imposed more than 3000 local train services daily on the suburban railway route which are operated by Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR). As of now, CR and WR run a total of 700 daily services only for essential service providers. However, many employees are struggling to travel to their destinations while the companies have started their regular operations. Many even complained that they are finding it much costlier to travel through other means of transport than when they were travelling in locals by just paying ?10. Although the government is still considering resuming the regular operation of local trains from the first week of September. If you are one of those who likes to travel abroad then this next piece of information is useful for you all. Normal international flight services will not be available for now. There will be more flights under Vande Bharat Mission. Air Bubble agreements with more countries will be signed widening the scope of international flights.
Now the big question that every student wants an answer to is whether the schools and colleges are going to reopen? And the answer to this as per officials is that schools and colleges will not resume their operations immediately. There has been a constant discussion about this issue on whether higher educational institutions like universities, IITs and IIMs should be allowed to open or not. As many students miss their classmates there is also a population of students who are struggling to attend online lectures due to lack of smartphones and laptops facility at home. There are chances that central government will pass on the decision to the state government to reopen schools but as of now the Centre has maintained that no such decision has been taken in this regard.
So that being informed, we can say that the day is not far away where we can meet our friends and enjoy vadapav if we maintain the basic precautionary measures and follow the guidelines properly.
Written by: Ankit Mistry
“Ankit Mistry is currently pursuing Bachelors of Commerce from Mithibai College, Mumbai. He shows a lot of interest in Japanese artworks and also sketches for his own relaxation. He conducts different experiments in his own life and writes a personal blog sharing his experience. He currently takes up artworks for commissions and writes blog as a freelancer.”
Sources: india.com
timesnownews.com
mumbailive.com