A day after the Telangana government announced the extension of the state-wide lockdown with some relaxations, the Hyderabad Metro decided to reschedule the train timings. The first train of the day will start at 7 am, while the last train will start at 5 pm and end at the respective terminating stations by 6 pm. As part of the relaxations to lockdown rules announced, the relaxation time has been extended from 6 am to 5 pm, from the existing 6 am to 1 pm, with one additional hour granted for people to reach their homes. Earlier, the Metro was operating from 7 am to 11.45 am, with the last trains reaching the terminals by 12.45 pm.
In a statement, Hyderabad Metro officials have advised passengers to strictly follow COVID-19 safety guidelines including social distancing, wearing of face masks and regular hand sanitisation, among others, and thermal screening will take place at the stations. They have also requested the public to cooperate with Hyderabad Metro staff and safety personnel in the enforcement of COVID-19 rules.
The Telangana government on Tuesday, June 8, decided to extend the lockdown in the state for another 10 days until June 20. The extension of the relaxation hours till 5 pm will come into effect from Thursday, June 10. However, the status quo will be maintained in Sattupalli, Mathira, Nallagonda, Nagarjuna Sagar, Devarakonda, Munugoda, Miryalaguda and other constituencies where the COVID-19 cases are still high.
The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting convened on Tuesday, June 8, at Pragati Bhavan in Hyderabad, the official camp office of Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao.
Telangana has been under lockdown since May 12. Initially, it was decided to impose a lockdown until May 22, with a daily relaxation from 6 am to 10 am. However, the cabinet later extended the lockdown further by a week, in a meeting convened on May 18. On May 30, the state cabinet decided to extend the lockdown once again for another 10 days with a daily relaxation from 6 am to 1 pm. An additional grace hour was given to the public to reach their homes by 2 pm.