In a major relief to Indian e-commerce firms such as Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal, the government has allowed the players to deliver both essential and non-essential items in red zones as well.
Earlier, the e-tailers were only allowed to sell non-essential items in green and orange zones only.
With this amended lockdown rule, people living in red zones will also be able to order smartphones, laptops, gadgets accessories online from now on.
Under this new order, the e-commerce firms are still prohibited to sell non-essential items in the containment zones.
Also read: Coronavirus lockdown 4.0: What activities will be allowed in red zones from today?
However, these online firms say they are waiting for states' decisions on the matter.
"We thank the government for taking the decision for allowing the delivery of non-essentials in red zones across the country. This move will help us deliver to most of the metro cities which presently fall in the red zones," Srinivas Mothey, Senior Vice President of Paytm Mall, said.
He added that the company has already had discussions with its merchant and logistics partners, and will start taking orders and delivering from Monday itself.
A Snapdeal spokesperson said the MHA guidelines pave the way for a broader resumption of economic activities across most parts of India.
"E-commerce has played a crucial role in the last two months by delivering a range of much-needed goods to consumers - within the safety of their homes. Our sellers and delivery partners have worked extensively to meet these requirements while exercising strict safety measures and we applaud their commitment in rising to the occasion," the spokesperson said.
In the first two phases of the lockdown (that started from March 25), e-commerce companies were allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceutical products.
In the third phase (from May 4), e-tailers were allowed to sell both essential and non-essential products only in orange and green zones.
Also read: Coronavirus Lockdown 4.0: E-commerce allowed outside containment zones