Malls, restaurants, religious places reopen: Check list of rules from states

Shopping malls, restaurants, and religious places reopened in most parts of India on Monday after being shut for over two months in the wake of coronavirus-induced lockdown. The guidelines in this regard were issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on June 4 as a part of the Centre's calibrated exit (from the lockdown) by relaxing more curbs on economic activities and movement of people.

However, the central government has given the states full authority to issue their own independent guidelines. The relaxation of curbs comes a time when the COVID-19 cases in the country have crossed 2.50 lakh-mark with the death toll past 7,000.

Below mentioned are state-wise guidelines for malls, restaurants and shrines under Unlock 1.0:

Delhi

• Delhi government has permitted the malls, restaurants, and religious places to open from Monday (June 8) in accordance with the Centre's guidelines.
• Strict rules such as physical distancing, contactless shopping, and hourly disinfection of the common areas have been put in place.
• Pregnant women, senior citizens above 65 years of age, and children under 10 years will not be allowed to enter the malls.
• Some malls are considering providing face shields to employees who will be permitted to work only after their temperature checks.
• No clothing trials will be allowed inside the clothing stores.
• Several shopping malls have arranged UV sterilisation rooms for people in order to disinfect their personal belongings.
• Prasad will not be distributed in temples and only 5-10 devotees will be permitted to enter the premises at a time.
• The Kejriwal government has also allowed the reopening of inter-state borders from Monday (June 8).
• Hotels and banquet halls will continue to remain shut until further notice by the UT (union territory) government.

Also Read: Delhi unlock 1.0: Restaurants, malls to open; hotels to remain closed from Monday; check out full MHA guidelines

Haryana

• The state government has permitted malls, hotels, restaurants, and religious places to reopen from Monday (June 8), except in Faridabad and Gurgaon districts.
• The government has also put in place generic preventive measures to be taken at these places in accordance with the Centre's norms.
• The opening for all of the above would be between 9 am to 8 pm to ensure compliance of night curfew between 9 pm and 5 am, according to a statement issued by Haryana government on June 6.
• Safety measures including simple public health steps, social distancing, wearing of face covers, or masks should be observed at all times by everyone in establishments that have been allowed to operate from June 8, said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
• Gaming arcades, children's play areas, and cinema halls inside shopping malls will remain closed.
• No aarti, congregation, and mass or collective gathering for prayers will be allowed. Only individual prayers will be allowed and no physical offerings like prasad, distribution or sprinkling of holy water, etc., will be allowed inside the religious places, the state government said in its statement.
• Community kitchens in religious places should observe physical distancing norms while preparing and distributing food.
• Banquet halls with a size of around 2,000 square feet would be allowed to operate with a maximum of 50 guests at a time and social distancing norms must be observed.
• Restaurants in hotels would be allowed to operate at only 50 per cent capacity. No buffet service will be allowed. Only ordering individually on the menu would be allowed. No bars in restaurants will be allowed to open. Room service and takeaways for dining in rooms will be allowed, according to the state government's guidelines.

Maharashtra

• Shopping malls, religious places, and places of worship will remain shut across the state.
• Cinema halls, swimming pools, gyms, movie halls, theatres, bars will also remain shut in the state.
• The movement of individuals in the state will remain strictly prohibited from 9 pm to 5 am except for essential activities, the state government order stated.
• Barbershops, spas, salons, beauty parlours, hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality services will remain closed.
• The state government has permitted all private offices to operate up to 10 per cent of their strength or 10 people, whoever is more, while the remaining employees will work from home.
• Proper sanitisation and physical distancing are to be observed in workplaces.

Punjab

• The state government will introduce a token system for allowing people entry in malls with a cap on the maximum time limit for which a visitor can stay inside the mall.
• People visiting the malls will be required to download the COVA Punjab app (Coronavirus alert app) on their mobile phones.
• Clothes trials will not be allowed inside the shopping malls.
• Religious places will open between 5 am to 8 pm.
• Prasad or langar will not be allowed inside religious places.
• Only 20 people will be permitted inside the places of worship.
• Restaurants and food courts in malls will only be permitted to accept take away orders, and home deliveries.
• Hotels will be allowed to provide room service to guests.

Uttar Pradesh

• Hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, religious places will reopen from Monday (June 8).
• Markets can resume operations but can function from 9 am to 9 pm .
• Supermarkets will also be permitted to reopen while maintaining physical distancing, wearing of masks an other COVID-19 precautions.
• Salons, beauty parlours can reopen with employees wearing masks and gloves while working.

Chandigarh

• Hotels, restaurants, religious places and malls will be allowed to reopen from Monday.
• There will be token-based entry to malls.
• Customers cannot try out clothes in malls and or dine in at restaurants.
• Places of worship will remain open from 5 am to 8 pm.

Karnataka

• Religious places (across faiths), malls, hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality services will be open from Monday (June 8).
• Temples and mosques will reopen from Monday (June 8) but Churches across the state will allow worshipers from June 13.
• Strict social distancing norms will be required to follow at all the places of worship. Pooja archana, teertha (holy water) will not be allowed.
• People will be required to bring mats from their homes for observing Namaz at mosques.

Also Read: Lockdown 5: Cinema halls, gyms and bars to remain closed

Odisha

• All religious places and places of worship will remain closed until June 30, according to the state government's guidelines.
• All shopping malls will also remain shut until June 30.
• Restaurants and hotels will be allowed to continue with home delivery and takeaway services.

Goa

• All religious places will be permitted to reopen from Monday (June 8), but mass activities are not permitted.
• The association of All Goa Muslim Jamats has taken the decision to postpone the reopening of mosques until June 30.
• Restaurants will be permitted to reopen starting Monday.
• Ban on non-essential movement will be between 9 pm to 5 am from Monday onwards.

Telangana

• Although malls are allowed to open from Monday (June 8), some of them will resume operations from June 10.
• Shopping centres in Hyderabad will be open from 11 am to 8 pm only.
• Only six people will be allowed on the 20-person lifts.
• Wearing masks is mandatory for everyone in malls, hand sanitisers will also be provided to customers.
• Movie halls and play areas for children will not be allowed to open.
• Entry for shoppers will be capped at some malls based on the number of people already present inside the mall. Mall staff will keep a count of the same.

Also Read: Lockdown 5.0 guidelines: What is allowed, what's not

Madhya Pradesh

• All places of worship outside the containment areas will be allowed to reopen from Monday (June 8).
• The state government is yet to take a decision on red zones such as Indore and Bhopal.
• Only pre-registered worshippers will be permitted entry inside the Ujjain's famous Mahakaleshwar Temple. 350 such devotees will be allowed to enter every hour, with the daily limit set at 2,800.
• Worshipers will be required to wear masks inside the temple premises.
• All temples will remain open between 8 am to 6 pm. Devotees will not be allowed to touch the idols, and scriptures. Sprinkling or distribution of holy water or prasad will not be permitted.
• Sanitisation machines have been installed at the temples' gates. Entry of worshippers will be halted for an hour every two hours to sanitise the premises.
• Kal Bhairav Temple, Peetambara Peeth, Jama Masjid, Madina Masjid, Freeganj Gurudwara, and a catholic church will reopen from Monday (June 8), however, Omkareshwar temple will reopen on June 16.

Also Read: Lockdown 5.0 guidelines: Select cities may have restrictions; is yours on the list?