Amazon, Flipkart start delivering smartphones in Green and Orange zones

E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have started accepting and delivering orders for smartphones, but only in select parts of the country. These platforms have started delivering mobile phones among other items as government announced relaxed guidelines with the third phase of relaxation coming into place.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had clarified that e-commerce platforms will be able to sell essential as well as non-essential products starting May 4. However, the delivery of non-essential products is limited to the Green and Orange zones only. Consumers who belong to the Red zone can only order essential products like earlier.

The government of India has divided the country into three zones — Red, Orange, and Green — for better understanding of which areas are dangerous and which ones are safe. Relaxations have only been given to areas that fall in Green or Orange zone.

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Last month, when the government had extended the initial lockdown, the e-commerce platforms had announced that they will start delivering smartphones and laptops, only for the MHA to clarify that only the delivery of non-essential goods will be allowed. Several smartphone makers have also delayed the launch of their devices due to the restrictions. The revised guidelines, however, allow them to take the plans ahead.

With 2,553 new cases and 72 fatalities in the past 24 hours, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 42,533 on Monday morning, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total cases, 29453 are active, 11,706 people have recovered, and 1,373 people have succumbed to the disease. At least 1,074 people have recovered from the highly contagious COVID-19 in 24 hours.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with the total number of cases rising to 12,974 and 548 deaths, though 2,115 people have recovered from the deadly virus.