User:SharmaPrachi12/COVID-19 lockdown in India

Unlock 7.0 (1–31 December)
On 25 November 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued COVID-19 guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution. Under these, people were not allowed to move in or out of the Containment zones except for essential activities or medical emergencies. For regions outside the containment zones, all activities were permitted with a few exceptions, which were approved with certain restrictions. Exhibition halls were permitted to operate for business-to-business (B2B) purposes only. Religious, social, cultural, educational, environmental and sports gatherings were allowed with a maximum capacity of 50% in all types of halls. The official number was 200 in closed halls whereas, in the case of open spaces, the size of the ground/space was considered. However, state/Uts could impose local restrictions based on their assessment of the prevalent situation. State/Uts were also mandated to promote COVID-19 appropriate behaviour by levying fines on those who disobey the rules. Inter-state and intra-state movement of goods and people was allowed with no restriction.

Unlock 8.0 (1–31 January)
On 28 December 2020, the MHA issued a new order under which the Unlock 7.0 guidelines were extended till January 31, 2021. The Home Ministry also emphasized the continued focus on surveillance and containment of the disease. State/Uts would continue to demarcate Containment zones and ensure strict compliance with the various SOPs issued by the MHA. State governments were permitted to impose night curfew to control the spread of COVID-19.

Unlock 9.0(1-28 February)
On 27 January 2021, the home ministry released a new order stating that the existing COVID-19 guidelines were further extended till February 28, 2021. As observed during Unlock 7.0 and Unlock 8.0, various SOP's issued by the MHA would continue to be strictly implemented by the local district, police and municipal authorities. The maximum number of people allowed at religious, social, cultural, educational, environment and sports gatherings would be decided by the concerned state governments. People would now be allowed to access swimming pools. Also, all types of exhibition halls would be allowed to operate.

Unlock 10.0(1-31 March)
On 26 February 2021, the MHA issued another order which specified that the existing guidelines pertaining to COVID-19 would be in force till March 31, 2021. The order mentioned that the states would continue to carefully demarcate containment zones and share the resulting list with the central government. The prescribed SOPs and containment measures need to be strictly followed to ensure timely containment in affected areas.

Unlock 11.0 (1-31 April)
On 23 March 2021, the prevalent COVID-19 guidelines and SOPs were extended to 30 April 2021. The MHA addressed the need to strictly enforce the 'Test, Track and Treat' protocol. As stated in the previous guidelines, all activities were permitted outside the Containment zones provided that the SOPs concerning them are strictly adhered to. These activities included travelling by passenger trains, air travel and metro trains. Schools, higher educational institutions, hotels and restaurants, shopping malls, gymnasiums and entertainment parks were also allowed to open in Containment free zones. Although, State/UTs could still impose restrictions at the district/sub-district and the city/ward level if the situation demands so.

Impact
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Socio-psychological Impact
The early stages of the lockdown had damaging effects on select sections of the population. These groups mainly included poverty-ridden people, sexual minorities and people already suffering from mental health issues. People who lived alone felt isolated and trapped to some extent. Also, a significant amount of individuals, who lost their jobs due to the pandemic suffered from depression, anxiety attacks and stress induced sickness

Impact on Environment
Rivers have become cleaner as industries are closed due to the lockdown. The quality of air has significantly improved during the lockdown. Owing to the improved air index, residents of Jalandhar -a city in Punjab- could view the Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh from their rooftops.

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