HomeNewsIndiaUnlock 1.0: Can I step out, which shops are open and other important questions answered

Unlock 1.0: Can I step out, which shops are open and other important questions answered

The lockdown has been extended in containment, or high-risk, zones but significantly eased elsewhere. Below are answers to all your essential queries on the fifth phase of the lockdown, or Unlock 1.0, as the government prefers to call it:

June 01, 2020 / 19:11 IST
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The government on May 30 extended the coronavirus-triggered lockdown until June 30 in containment, or high-risk zones. But there were significant easing of restrictions in other parts, as restaurants, malls and religious institutions were permitted to reopen from June 8.

Below are the answers to all the vital questions you may have:

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Has the lockdown been extended?

Yes, until June 30, only for containment zones.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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