On Sunday, the government extended the coronavirus lockdown for two more weeks in India with the fourth phase providing more relaxations outside the containment zones. The government removed all restrictions on online retail as part of its plan for Lockdown 4.0.
The e-commerce companies were permitted to deliver all goods, including those considered non-essential. Which will e-commerce companies such as Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal will resume its services in full-swing.
The Union Home Ministry issued an order in which it said, “all other activities will be permitted, except those which are specifically prohibited" under the fourth phase of the lockdown that ends on May 31.
However, in containment zones, only essential activities will be allowed. States and union territories - based on their assessment of the situation - may prohibit certain other activities in various zones or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary, the order added.
E-commerce website Snapdeal's spokesperson said that it is ready and equipped to start serving customers all across India - in red, green and orange zones - by providing them access to the entire selection of millions of products.
“We welcome the guidelines announced by the MHA, which pave the way for a broader resumption of economic activities across most parts of India. At Snapdeal, we are ready and equipped to now start serving customers all across India - in red, green and orange zones - by providing them access to the entire selection of millions of products. This is also the moment that will enable lakhs of medium and small online sellers to start rebuilding their businesses as they serve the needs of users in cities and towns across India," Snapdeal's spokesperson said.
In the first two phases of the lockdown (that started from March 25), e-commerce companies were allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceutical products.
In the third phase (from May 4), these platforms were allowed to sell all items in orange and green zones, but only essential items were allowed to be shipped in red zones that include top e-commerce hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad.
