New Delhi, Apr 19 (IANS): The Health Ministry on Sunday said that there will be no relaxation in containment zones in the areas designated as hotspots, from April 20.

"From tonight, there will be no relaxation in containment areas in hotspot districts. Stricter measures could be taken," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, at a press briefing.

He said there will be a strict parameter control in the containment zones, under which no services other than essential services will be allowed.

According to the Health Ministry guidelines, hotspot or red zones are the areas where "there are a large number of Covid-19 cases or where doubling rates of cases is less than four days."

In these hotspots, the local administration delineate containment and buffer zones to control the disease spread.

Alluding to the areas where there will be selective relaxation, the Joint Secretary said, "Areas outside the containment zones, states and districts have to ensure that the measures related to lockdown are followed. Social distancing SOPs and preparatory actions in offices, workplaces, factories or establishments are taken."

Certain activities which will be prohibited in such areas till May 3 are passenger traffic movement by air, rail and road, education instuitions, industrial commercial activities, hospitality services, cinema halls, malls shops, social, political and religious gathering.

"Some activities are, however, relaxed such as agricultural activities so that the rural economy remains functional, employment of daily wage earners and others is monitored and supply chain is maintained," he said.

"Our effort is to restore normalcy", Luv Agarwal said, adding if any positive case comes in zones where there are relaxations, they will be made a part of the containment or red zones.