The Centre is considering requests to permit cinema halls and gyms to reopen as part of the ‘Unlock 3.0’ phase which is slated to begin on August 1, news reports suggest.
These establishments would have to follow strict social distancing and other safety protocols amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Schools, colleges and educational institutions will not be allowed to reopen yet. They would be advised to continue with online classes, reports add. Metro rail services are also likely to remain suspended for August.
Earlier, an association of cinema halls had urged the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to allow theatres to function with 25-30 percent capacity.
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The government is expected to issue detailed guidelines for Unlock 3.0 in the days to come.
Reports suggest that states and Union Territory administrations could be given more authority in deciding their own guidelines based on the situation in there. Multiple states, or at least some areas within, continue to remain under lockdown due to spike in cases.
Also read: Will schools, cinema halls, international flights restart? Here's what FICCI recommends
This phase of reopening will be watched closely as it comes at a time when COVID-19 cases being reported in India are scaling new highs. On July 27, India reported nearly 50,000 COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour period. The country has so far reported a total of 14.8 lakh confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 33,425 deaths. While 9.5 lakh patients have recovered, 4.9 lakh cases are still categorised as ‘active’.
India is the third most-affected country in the world following the United States and Brazil.
While centres like Delhi and Mumbai, which were once considered the largest hotspots, have shown clear signs of flattening the curve of infections, cases are rapidly rising in states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.
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