JOIN USCoronavirus lockdown: E-commerce companies can deliver non-essential items in green, orange zones, says MHA
The government on Friday said that e-commerce companies will be allowed to deliver non-essential items like laptops, books and electrical appliances in the green and orange zones during the COVID-19 lockdown from May 4 while delivery of only essential items would allowed in the red zone.
There will be no delivery by e-commerce firms in any containment zone.
The order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs said that, from May 4, e-commerce activities will be permitted only in respect of essential goods in red zones. In orange and green zones, delivery of essential and non-essential items are permitted.
According to the government, 130 out of the 733 districts in the country have been declared red zones owing to large number of cases, while 284 have been identified as orange zones. There are 319 districts in the green zone where not a single case has been reported in the past 21 days.
While the Centre has allowed the delivery of non-essential items in orange and green zones, the states can still prohibit it as the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) make it clear that the states can impose stricter norms in the fight against COVID-19.
Since the lockdown started on March 25, e-commerce firms were allowed to deliver only essential items.
The government had earlier decided to allow delivery of non-essential items from April 20 but had withdrawn the order following protests from retail traders and Opposition parties saying that it was discriminatory to shopkeepers selling non-essential items.
The move is expected cheers up e-commerce firms like Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra.