India has extended the national coronavirus lockdown for another two weeks. However, there will be considerable relaxations in places where there are no active cases. The lockdown measures will be further extended for two weeks beyond May 4, the country's interior ministry said in a press release. New guidelines, outlined on Friday, update the country's designated red, green and orange zoning system. Red zones are considered hotspots, while considerable relaxations will be permitted in areas considered less dangerous. All of India's major metropolitan areas remain classified as red zones and will stay under strict lockdown measures. All of the zone classifications have been described as "dynamic" and will be updated weekly, officials say. All travel by air and rail will still be prohibited under the extension, with schools, restaurants and places of worship also remaining shut nationally. India has been under lockdown measures since March 24, with 35,36500 confirmed cases and 1,152 deaths. India's lockdown is the largest of its kind in the world, impacting a population of 1.3 billion people, causing large economic disruption across the country, with many laborers deprived of income and millions of migrant workers left stranded in economic hardship. The government issued an order on Friday to provide special trains for stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students to return home. In one of the first big efforts to help migrants return, a train departed on Friday carrying people marooned in the southern state of Telangana to the eastern state of Jharkhand. — Agencies
