More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: A panel of senior officials studying the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic has suggested categorisation of districts based on “vulnerability mapping” and accordingly deciding the extent of curbs that should apply to these areas whenever the national lockdown is relaxed. The suggestion, along with others outlining a cautious approach to lifting restrictions, is understood to have found favour with the group of ministers (GoM) considering the issues.A source said a committee of secretaries has recommended colour-coding of districts as per number of cases and varied lockdown strategies for each category and added that all inputs will be considered for a final decision by PM Modi As reported by TOI on Tuesday, curbs on air and rail travel will remain. Additionally, schools and colleges are expected to remain closed and the ban on religious gatherings and extending shutdown of malls is on the cards. Standalone ‘general’ stores selling daily household items will be allowed to open, as is the case currently. These suggestions found favour with the GoM led by defence minister Rajnath Singh which reviewed the lockdown on Tuesday. The GoM also considered inputs from states like Maharashtra , Telangana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh favouring extension of the lockdown beyond April 14.The GoM noted shopping malls should remain shut for some more time to ensure strict adherence to ‘social distancing’ norms, said an official. It was, however, felt that ‘neighbourhood’ general merchant stores selling not only foodstuff and essentials but also other items of daily household should be allowed to open. “Allowing ‘mom-andpop’ stores to function is expected to increase the availability of items of daily need to the public while ensuring that livelihood of small shopkeepers is not lost indefinitely,” the official said.The GoM favoured testing only where required, rather than following the South Korean model of random diagnostic testing. This, sources said, has essentially to do with limited availability of testing resources. The GoM was largely focused on ensuring how to tie up loose ends in supply chains of essential items.