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Telangana Government extends lockdown till May 29 but allows certain relaxations, such as the opening of liquor shops barring those in containment zones. By Tanvi Jain
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In a first, Telangana, became the only state in the country till date to extend the ongoing lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, till May 29. While announcing the extension during a media briefing post a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao urged the state government to abide by the Centre’s guidelines while implementing relaxations, barring the red zones.
Moreover, while he allowed all shops in the Mandal headquarters and villages to open, for municipal towns, he declared a lottery system to decide which shops will open, as only 50 per cent is allowed to function at the moment.
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Apart from the mandatory 7 pm to 7 am curfew, buses are allowed to run in the green zones only after May 15. However, autos and cabs have already started operating in green and orange zones, respectively. Similarly, certain offices such as stamps, registration, RTA, can also start in all the zones. However, religious gatherings, processions, etc., are still banned. While government offices can work with a full staff, private is allowed to function with only 33 per cent of the staff.
Moreover, he confirmed running 11 special trains to send back migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The state also witnessed the opening of most of the liquor shops except the ones in the containment zones.
He further stated that Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal and Vikarabad districts, are the major areas of concern. “Most of the #coronavirus infected and dying of the virus are from Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal and Vikarabad districts, medical and health officials told CMCCR. He urged the district to continue the lockdown without any deregulation,” Telangana CMO tweeted.
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India has so far recorded at least 53,045 cases of Coronavirus. The country was first put under lockdown on March 24 and is now in its third phase.
Related: Lockdown 3.0 In India: What’s Allowed & What’s Not