Uttarakhand Unlock 5.0: While inter and intra-state bus services have already resumed operations; cinema halls, theatres, etc., will reopen on October 15 in the state. By Tanvi Jain
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Uttarakhand government has finally allowed the movement of inter and intra-state buses from October 1, in the fifth phase of the ongoing Unlock in the country. However, it has also clarified that passengers will be seated only as per the capacity, and will have to follow all COVID-19 guidelines, such as wearing a mask and undergoing thermal screenings. Same goes for the staff as well.
In fact, it’ll be the duty of the staff members to make sure that the vehicle is properly sanitised before and after every journey, no one consumes tobacco in any form such as pan or cigarettes while on-board, and everyone has Aarogya Setu app installed in their mobile phones.
Reports further suggest that the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation will be allowed to undertake a total of 100 trips in a day, and the ticket fare will be decided by the State Transport Authority. However, passengers won’t have to bear the brunt of increased fares as there won’t be any 50 per cent limit anymore.
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Moreover, the state has also decided to reopen cinema halls and theatres in non-containment zones, from October 15, but with only half operating capacity. In fact, other similar public places such as entertainment parks have also been permitted to reopen from the same date, but with all required SOPs in place as issued by the Union Health Ministry.
Furthermore, none of the closed places will allow over 200 people to assemble at a time and will ensure that the crowd maintains social distancing, undergoes thermal screening, wears masks, and uses hand wash or sanitizer.
As far as tourism is concerned, while registration on smartcitydehradun.uk.gov.in for people travelling via any mode of transport will still be necessary, but possession of a COVID-19 negative test report or mandatory minimum days of stay won’t be required anymore.
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However, the decision on reopening of schools is still pending and is likely to be taken after October 15, by the state’s education department, in consultation with the management bodies of the respective schools and institutions. Meanwhile, for the reopening of coaching centres, the District Magistrates will have to take a call post October 15.
Furthermore, while the Department of Higher Education will decide on the date of reopening of colleges, etc., institutions, where PG students and research scholars from Science and Technology stream need to use labs for experiments, will be allowed to reopen from October 15.
All the above relaxations will be allowed only in non-containment zones, whereas, the containment zones will remain under lockdown till October 31.
Related: Our Writer Travelled To Uttarakhand With Her Kids Post Lockdown. Here’s What She Discovered
