India: Regulatory Updates | Covid-19 Outbreak | Vol 3 | 16 March 2020

- Travel restrictions and quarantine: The Government of India has categorized passengers into 3 categories for the purpose of quarantine. These are Category A (high risk – symptomatic persons with a history of travel / contact with a COVID-19 case, who shall be segregated from other passengers and sent for isolation), Category B (moderate risk – elderly, hypertensive, diabetic or asthmatic but asymptomatic persons coming from severely affected countries, who will be shifted to a dedicated quarantine facility for monitoring) and Category C (asymptomatic persons coming from any COVID-19 affected country, who will be kept under home quarantine).

- Essential commodities: The Government of India has notified masks (2 ply and 3 ply surgical masks and N95 masks) and hand sanitizers as essential commodities through the Essential Commodities Order, 2020, for a period up to 30 June 2020 and has called upon the states / union territories to take necessary steps to ensure sufficient availability of surgical and protective masks, hand sanitizers and gloves at prices not exceeding the MRP printed on the pack.

- State notifications on Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897: The state governments in Karnataka, Goa, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha and Tamil Nadu have invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and framed regulations which inter alia (a) make provisions on self-reporting by persons coming from COVID-19 affected areas and (b) designate certain authorities as 'authorised persons' to take measures for enforcement of the regulations.

- Closure of public places: The state governments in Bihar, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Noida, Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Tripura have ordered temporary shut-down of public places such as cinema halls, educational institutes, malls, theatres etc.

- Banning of private travel / tour operations: The Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai, has directed that with effect from the midnight of 15 March 2020 until 31 March 2020, the conduct of any business / holiday tours involving groups of people travelling to local or foreign destinations operated by private tour operators shall be barred, unless a special exemption is sought on the ground of exceptional circumstances from the Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai.

- Border posts: All passenger movements through all immigration land check posts at borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan have been suspended till further orders. The notification can be assessed here.

- Urgent matters in courts: As on date, the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts in Bombay, Patna, Delhi, Himanchal Pradesh and Guwahati have decided to hear only urgent matters and are allowing restricted entry of lawyers, litigants and journalists in the court room.

This update is in furtherance of our advisory dated 5 March 2020, update dated 12 March 2020 (Vol 1) and update dated 13 March 2020 (Vol 2).