Maharashtra Unlock 5.0 Guidelines: Here's what's allowed, what's not

Maharashtra is slowly crawling back to normal, with the new guidelines of "Unlock 5.0" coming into effect today. The Maharashtra government has announced new guidelines under its mission "Begin Again" to provide further relaxation starting today.

As per the state government's new unlock guidelines, the Mumbai Metro services will be functional from today. While, institutions such as school, colleges and religious places of worship will still remain closed.

For the Mumbai Metro, the Department of Urban Development will be issuing a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) soon. Additionally, the doors of government and private libraries have been opened too under the Unlock 5.0.

Starting October 15, the government has allowed local weekly bazaars to open in areas outside containment zones. Furthermore, the opening hours of normal shops have been increased by two hours, which means that shops can now function from 9 AM to 9 PM.

International air travel will remain prohibited, except as permitted by MHA.

From today, Business to Business (B2B) Exhibitions have also been permitted in areas that are outside of containment zones.

The government has issued a notification allowing schools to call only 50 percent of teaching and non-teaching staff in the campus for virtual teaching, tele-counseling, and other related work in areas outside containment zones.

In the case of weddings and other family functions, the government has said that the number of guests cannot exceed 50. In the case of funerals, the number cannot be more than 20.

Passengers arriving at different airports domestically will be checked for Covid-19 symptoms. They will also be stamped with indelible ink.

Starting today, higher education institutions will be allowed for lab and experimental works only for research scholars (PhD) and postgraduate students in the science and technology stream.

 Public open spaces, gardens, and parks will continue to be open.