Nationwide lockdown in containment zones extended till June 30: MHA

A day before the fourth phase of nationwide lockdown ends, Ministry of Health Affairssaid on Saturdayit will be in place in containment zones till June 30.

Reopening of prohibited activities in areas outside containment zones willbe done in phased manner.

Places of religious worship, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls "will be allowed" to operate from June 8, while educational establishments will be opened "after consultations" with Indian state authorities.

There will be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods from June 1; no separate permission will be required for such travels.

The night curfew will remain in force from 9pm to 5am across the country.

The announcement came after atotal of 7,964 new positivecases were reported in the past 24 hours. This wasthe highest spike in the past few months.