The State government has issued simplified guidelines permitting industries to operate in the State by duly imposing certain restrictions and distancing norms to prevent community transmission of coronavirus.
The State is categorised into red, orange and green districts depending on the case load and other factors. Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna, Nellore and Chittoor have been classified as red districts while Vizianagaram is categorised as green district. The remaining districts are classified as orange districts.
The categorisation previously done on the basis of mandals ceases to exist with the new classification, according to an official release.
The simplified guidelines are: no industrial activities will be permitted in containment clusters, including their buffer areas (villages/wards) either in the urban or rural areas. These areas will be notified by the district administration or State government from time to time.
Inter-mixing of labourers and staff coming from different places is to be avoided within the factories as far as possible.
In rural areas, the following guidelines are applicable: all industrial activities are permitted completely subject to safeguards for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 without any reference to essential or non-essential products in all red, orange or green districts.
The following guidelines are applicable in urban areas: in case of red zone districts, industrial establishments are to be permitted in a limited manner. Special Economic Zones, Export Oriented Units, industrial parks, industrial estates and industrial townships with access control are permitted.
Other activities
The other industrial activities permitted are manufacturing of essential goods including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; production units which require continuous process and their supply chain, manufacturing of IT hardware, jute industry with staggered shifts and social distancing and manufacturing units of packaging material.
The Standard Operating Protocols issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs will continue to operate.
The industrial units can automatically resume operations in all permitted areas and activities without any specific permission or NOC but with self-certification (through https://www.apindustries.gov.in/Covid19) to be furnished by the heads of the industrial units.
