2020 Recap: How India survived COVID-19 pandemic - a series of lockdowns, unlocks

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The year 2020 began with the fight against coronavirus, and it came with one of the most impactful changes in all our lives - the lockdown. As the novel coronavirus began settling itself in India and the number of positive cases reached nearly 500, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on March 24, announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. In his order, the prime minister mandated a restriction on all non-essential travel and services. Observers have even stated that the lockdown had actually slowed the growth rate of the pandemic by April 6. 

As we move on to 2021, here's a look back at the timeline of lockdown and unlock in India 

Lockdown

Phase 1 (March 25 – April 14)

The first day of a nationwide lockdown (March 25) saw the suspension of nearly all non-essential services. It introduced us to panic-buying, wherein people were seen crowding up shops and stores to stock essentials. Arrests across the states were made for violating norms of lockdown such as venturing out for no emergency, opening businesses and home quarantine violations. The e-commerce vendors came to much rescue as they ensured a seamless supply of essentials across the nation during the lockdown period. 

• On March 26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹170,000 crore (US$24 billion) stimulus package to help those affected by the lockdown
• On March 27, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a slew of measures to help mitigate the economic impacts of the lockdown
• Since an announcement regarding the suspension of passenger trains was already made, the Indian Railways, on March 29, said it would start services for special parcel trains to transport essential goods, in addition to the regular freight service. The national rail operator also announced plans to convert coaches into isolation wards for patients of COVID-19
• On April 5, Indians from across all states showed solidarity with the health workers, police and all those fighting the disease. We switched off electric lights at home for 9 minutes from 9:00 pm to 9:09 pm and lit diyas, candles and flashlights with mobiles and torches
• As the end of the initial lockdown approached, many states expressed willingness to extend the same till April end, to control the curb of coronavirus. On April 14, Prime Minister Modi announced the extension of nationwide lockdown till May 3

Phase 2 (April 15 – May 3)

• Commonly referred to as Lockdown 2.0, this period came in with a conditional relaxation promised after April 20, for areas that reported a decline in coronavirus positive cases
• On April 16, lockdown areas were classified as "red zone", indicating the presence of infection hotspots, "orange zone" indicating some infection, and "green zone" with no infections
• On April 20, certain relaxations were announced by the government, which allowed agricultural businesses (including dairy, aquaculture and plantations) and shops selling farming supplies to reopen. Public works programs were also allowed to reopen with instructions to maintain social distancing. Cargo transportation vehicles, including trucks, trains and planes began operating. Banks and government centers distributing benefits opened as well
• On April 25, small retail shops were allowed to open with half the staff, with social distancing norms in place
• On April 29, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for the states to allow inter-state movement of stranded persons, along with screening and placing them into quarantine if required
• On May 1, the government further extended the lockdown period to two weeks

Phase 3 (May 4 - May 17)

• By now, the country was split into three zones - Red (areas with high coronavirus cases and a high doubling rate), Orange (those with comparatively fewer cases than the red zone) and Green (areas that did not report any positive cases in the past 21 days)
• On May 17, the lockdown was again extended for a period of two weeks

Phase 4 (May 18 – May 31)

• During this phase, states were given a larger say in the demarcation of Green, Orange and Red zones and the implementation roadmap
• Red zones were further divided into containment and buffer zones
• The local bodies were given authority to demarcate containment and buffer zones

Unlock

Unlock 1.0 (June 1 – June 30)

• The first unlock came with a fresh set of guidelines for the month of June. By now, lockdown restrictions were only limited to the containment zones, while activities were permitted in other zones in a phased manner
• Shopping malls, religious places, hotels and restaurants were allowed to reopen from June 8
• Though large gatherings were still banned, inter-state travel was allowed 
• Various states had imposed night curfews from 9 pm to 5 am and appropriate restrictions were laid on activities

Unlock 2.0 (July 1 – July 31)

Phase II of unlocking began under the guidelines and instructions of the MHA and the NDMA, and the following changes were imposed

• Lockdown measures were only imposed in containment zones. In all other areas, most activities were permitted
• Night curfews were in effect from 10 pm to 5 am in all areas
• State governments were allowed to put suitable restrictions on all activities, but state borders remained open to all. Inter- and intrastate travel was permitted
• Limited international travel was permitted as part of the Vande Bharat Mission
• Shops allowed more than five persons at a time
• Educational institutions, metros, recreational activities remained closed till July 31
• Only essential activities were permitted in containment zones, while maintaining strict parameter control, intensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance and other clinical interventions
• Further guidelines regarding usage of the Aarogya Setu app and masks were reiterated

Unlock 3.0 (August 1 – August 31)

• Unlock 3.0 removed night curfews and permitted gymnasiums and yoga centers to reopen from August 5
• Educational institutions were ordered to remain closed till August 31 
• All inter and intrastate travel and transportation was permitted
• Independence Day celebrations were permitted with social distancing
• During this while, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu imposed a lockdown for the whole month, while West Bengal imposed lockdowns twice a week
• On August 30, the Delhi Metro resumed its operations on two metro lines

Unlock 4.0 (September 1 – September 30)

• A statement underlining the new set of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs said, "Lockdown shall remain in force in the Containment Zones till 30th September 2020" outside the containment zone, however, some activities were given permission
• Metro Rail was allowed to resume operations in a graded manner from September 7
• Marriage functions with gatherings of up to 50 people and funereal/last rites ceremonies with of up to 20 people were permitted
• Religious, entertainment, political, sports, academic functions and gatherings of up to 100 people were allowed
• Face coverings/masks were made compulsory in public places and workplaces

Unlock 5.0 (October 1 – October 31) 

• Schools were asked to continue with online learning till as long as possible
• It was during this period, that the lockdown in containment zones was extended till November 30
• Swimming pools being used for training of sportsperson were allowed to open
• Cinema halls, that had remained closed all this while, reopened from October 15, with 50 per cent of their seating capacity
• On October 27, guidelines were issued for Unlock 6.0

Unlock 6.0 (November 1 – November 30)

• Not many changes were made as compared to the previous unlock in the country. The Ministry of Home Affairs said the same guidelines would continue for the month of November
• Several states had allowed the opening up of more activities outside containment zones and had also announced the partial reopening of schools

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