No plan under consideration for another lockdown, says govt

New Delhi: The Centre has refuted a claim on social media that a lockdown would be re-imposed from June 18.

The fact check arm of the government’s Press Information Bureau said the claim in a Facebook post is fake and “there is no such plan under consideration”.

The lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus which began on March 25 was extended four times before it finally ended on May 31.

Under Unlock 1, the Centre has issued several guidelines for gradual reopening of the country to reboot the economy that had taken a beating during the lockdown of more than two months.

Earlier this month, the government allowed places of worship, religious places, shopping centres and restaurants to reopen. But business has been slow to pick up with many restaurants and malls running empty.

Many places of worship have also decided not to reopen despite the government’s go-ahead as Covid-19 cases in the country continue to soar.

The Centre also lifted restrictions on travel and has allowed the resumption of all modes of transport. But many states have their own quarantine protocol which means arriving passengers are first quarantined before being allowed to go.