Coronavirus cases are on a spree. As a result, the country is in a lockdown since 25th March. All economic activities, business, cafes, restaurants, schools, colleges are shut.
However, PM Narendra Modi in the lockdown version 3.0 has given some relaxations to revive economic growth. In lockdown 2.0 government had given relief on 20th April 2020. In this the government first allowed the e-commerce sites to operate but later revoked the order. But finally these e-commerce giants and taxi booking apps have got relief.
Ola and Uber resumed services in orange and green zones
In this, Ola and Uber, which facilitates booking of taxis from mobile apps, have resumed their services in Orange and Green zones during the extended period of lockdown.
However, keeping in mind the safety of passengers and drivers, companies have also made certain rules like making it mandatory to wear masks. The central government extended the lockdown period to 17 May on Friday. However, there are some concessions in the classification of areas based on severity in that area.
Areas badly affected by the corona virus have been kept in the Red Zone, partially affected areas are Orange Zone and the remaining areas in Green Zone.
The government has made some conditional concessions in the Orange and Green zones. It also includes permission to operate cabs with limited passengers. The two companies closed their operations in the country after the announcement of closure from March 24.
Ola said in a statement that it has resumed its services in more than 100 cities as per government guidelines. Apart from this, ‘Ola Emergency Service’ will be started in 15 cities for the movement of people infected with Corona virus from hospitals during lockdown.
These are the precautions being taken
The company has also introduced a flexible cancellation system. Under this, if the customer or driver feels that he is not following the mandatory rule like wearing a mask, then he can cancel the trip. During the journey in the cab, only two passengers can travel at a time. The car’s ACs will remain closed and the windows open to prevent air recycling.
Similarly, Uber reported to start operations in 25 cities. It includes cities like Amritsar, Rohtak, Gurugram and Visakhapatnam in the Orange Zone along with Jamshedpur, Kochi, Cuttack and Guwahati included in the Green Zone.
Green and Orange zones are equivalent to India’s 82% of total 733 districts. A total of 130 districts in India has been identified as red zones.
Flipkart and Amazon also resume their services
Also, e-commerce giants Flipkart and Amazon have also started their services with proper precautions in the green and orange zone.
However, other activities like aviation, railways, schools, colleges, cafes, restaurants are still close.
