State governments should not give exceptions to the lockdown beyond those specified under orders issued by the Ministry of Home.
This was reiterated in a letter from Home Secretary, A K Bhalla to Administrators of Union Territories and Chief Secretaries of all states.
"Some States/Union Territories are allowing exceptions beyond what has been permitted under lockdown measures as contained in Consolidated Guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under Disaster Management Act 2005," an official statement said.
"This amounts to a violation of the lockdown measures issued by MHA under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and may defeat the overall objective of containing the spread of COVID-19 in the country," Bhalla said in his letter.
An official statement said that all States/UTs are requested to implement lockdown measures in letter and spirit strictly.