Lockdown: Medical testing labs, grocery stores allowed to function

The Home Ministry made it clear on Friday night that medical testing laboratories and grocery stores, including e-commerce platforms with a mandate to sell essential commodities, were exempted from the purview of the ongoing 21-day lockdown. In a statement, the ministry said it had issued a series of guidelines giving exemptions to services, which were allowed to function normally during the lockdown.

However, at the ground level, different interpretations are being made on the items given exceptions, which hinder a smooth flow of the supply chain of these essential items. Taking the case of "laboratories", the communication clarified that they were exempted from the lockdown restrictions.

This includes the testing laboratories in the private sector for COVID-19 samples.  These samples are collected through various collection centres and thereafter, transported to the aforesaid laboratories.  It is reiterated that the opening up of temporary collection centres, movement of lab technicians and transportation of samples from the collection centres to the laboratories are exempted from any lockdown restrictions on movement, the statement said. Coming to daily essentials, the communication stated that exceptions to sale (including through e-commerce), production, warehousing and transport of essential goods such as food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk products, meat and fish, animal fodder, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, agriculture produce, drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediaries have been specifically mentioned in the aforesaid guidelines of exemptions.

In a communication on March 29, it was clarified that groceries would include hygiene products such as hand-wash, soaps, disinfectants, body-wash, shampoo, surface cleaners, detergents and tissue papers, toothpaste and oral care, sanitary pads and diapers, charger and battery cells etc., which were allowed to be sold. In view of these developments, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to all state chief secretaries, clarifying on ground-level issues being faced by the states in ensuring a smooth flow of the supply chain of essential items during the nationwide lockdown to fight COVID-19.

The communication deals in detail with different categories of essential items exempted from the lockdown restrictions. In order to further streamline the supply of essential goods, the following clarifications have been issued:- Queries have been received as to what constitutes food and grocery. Since it is neither feasible nor desirable to mention each item of food and grocery in the guidelines, the State/UT governments have been advised to interpret these terms to mean all items of food and grocery that are usually consumed by people on day-to-day basis.

Production, warehousing and transport of essential goods are included under exceptions in the guidelines and the district authorities are issuing individual passes to businesses covered in the exempted category. Difficulties in getting passes are, however, being faced by businesses having nation-wide supply chains of essential goods.

In order to address this concern, the State/UT governments have been advised to issue authorisation letters to companies/organisations having nation-wide supply chains of essential goods, allowing them to issue regional passes for easy movement of critical staff and workers in order to maintain their national supply chains. It has been further advised to keep the numbers of such authorisations at a bare minimum. While operations of the railways, airports and seaports for cargo movement, relief and evacuation are allowed under the guidelines, difficulties are being faced in obtaining passes from district authorities in some cases.

In order to address this and to accelerate unloading and mobility of goods across the country, it has been clarified that the designated authorities under the railways, ports and airports be allowed to issue passes for a critical mass of staff and contractual labour that are essential for such operations. Inter-state and intra-state movement of all trucks and other goods or carrier vehicles, with one driver and one additional person, is allowed as long as the driver is carrying a valid driver's license.

If the truck or vehicle is travelling empty, invoice, way-bill etc. for delivery or pick up of goods may additionally be carried by the drivers. Movement of driver and one person from their place of residence to the truck should also be facilitated by local authorities.

All movement of persons with the passes shall be subject to strict adherence to norms for hygiene and social distancing, as is required in the context of COVID-19. The communication emphasises that district authorities and field agencies may be informed of the above accordingly, so as to avoid any ambiguity at the ground level.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)