Unlock 5.0 – Schools, multiplexes to resume in various states

NEW DELHI: After nearly seven months, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, announced the reopening of schools, cinema halls, and social gatherings as part of its ‘Unlock 5.0’. This came into effect on Thursday, October 1, due to which, various constraints were lifted in areas outside containment zones.

Cinemas and theatres will be allowed to reopen provided they follow the ‘Unlock 5.0’ guidelines. A maximum of 50 per cent seating capacity is permitted. Swimming pools for sportspersons, entertainment parks and coaching institutions will also be authorised to resume from Thursday, October 15. Political, religious, and social gatherings have also been permitted with a pliable limit of hundred persons outside the containment area.

States such as Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Punjab and Bihar have decided to reopen schools in a regulated manner. As the decision to reopen schools was left on the respective state governments, the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra have not allowed their schools to resume. Multiplexes and theatres will open in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Kerala, and Chhattisgarh, including some parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, while making sure that everyone strictly follows COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.