Coronavirus: Transportation of all goods allowed during lockdown, says Centre

Amid reports of lakhs of stranded trucks carrying various items, the Centre on Sunday said that the transportation of all goods, without distinction of essential and non-essential, have been allowed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown till April 14 to combat the spread of novel coronavirus. Soon after, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 for the nationwide lockdown and separate guidelines listing the essential goods and services to be allowed during the lockdown period.

The ministry has since issued two addendums to the guidelines, adding add various items to the list of essential goods and services. In the third addendum in a week on Sunday, the ministry said transportation of all goods, without distinction of essential and non-essential, have been allowed.

In a letter sent to chief secretaries of all states, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla clarified that pension and provident fund services provided by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) have also been added in the list of exemptions.

Services of Indian Red Cross Society are also included under the exempted category.

The list of groceries, which can be sold during the lockdown period, include hygiene products such as hand washes, soaps, disinfectants, body wash, shampoos, surface cleaners, detergents and tissue papers, toothpaste / oral care, sanitary pads and diapers, battery cells, chargers etc, the letter said.

The entire supply chain of milk collection and distribution, including its packaging material, is allowed during the lockdown period.

Newspaper delivery supply chain is also allowed under print media, the ministry said.

The Home Secretary also informed the states that the Central Government has also allowed the use of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for homeless people, including migrant labourers, stranded due to lockdown measures.

The states were on Sunday directed to not allow movement of people across the cities and to ensure that the migrant labourers who were leaving their places of work are sheltered in the relief camps and other places for providing them food for the containment of the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

The directions were issued amid a mass exodus of migrant labourers and workers from cities to their native places.

Following the directive, police in all states sealed the border to stop the movement.