Hinting that it was ready for more relaxation in the fifth edition of the lockdown, the Uttar Pradesh government, however, said that it would act as per the Central guidelines.

A senior official said that Chief Secretary RK Tiwari, during a meeting through video-conferencing with the Union cabinet secretary, made it clear that while the number of coronavirus cases had spiked due to migrants’ return, the situation was under control in the state.

“Suggestions put forth by the Yogi Adityanath government said that more relaxation be given to the people, including movement of transport and operation of industries, in the state. However, the decision on opening religious places has been left to the Centre,” the official said.

Lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31 and several states have either extended it till June 14 or have shown inclination towards extension.

In Uttar Pradesh, lockdown was first announced from March 22 but on the national level, it was imposed from March 25 which entailed restrictions on movement of people. Since then, lockdown has been extended and during the fourth edition, the restrictions have been eased across the country, except in containment zones.

The official said that UP advocated start of intra-state buses services as has been done by other states. But in case of metro rail, services may begin in a limited manner, with less capacity, and stress on social distancing as two cities, Lucknow and Noida, have shown improvement. He said that educational institutions, gyms, malls and cinema halls may not get relaxation in the next lockdown.

“The state government suggested easing curbs in less affected areas and scaling up containment measures in red and orange zones. However, the government is waiting for Central guidelines, which are likely to be issued on Saturday,” the officer said.