CHANDIGARH: You will soon be able to purchase from e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart.
The new guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs will come into effect on April 20, which allows additional activities subject to operationalisation by the states and union territories.
The new guidelines state that all goods traffic will be allowed by ply across the country, except the demarcated containment zones, hotspots or red zones where the spread of infection or the risk, is high.
“Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions” and courier services will also be allowed to operate.
Essential goods remain in focus, and the government clarifies that “all facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.”
It is expected that with the new relaxed guidelines in place, shopping websites and e-commerce platforms will be able to deliver customer orders now.
During the first phase of the lockdown, reports surfaced that e-commerce companies and their delivery personnel were often restricted from moving around.
The lockdown in India has been extended to May 3, in an effort to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.