Details of the new measures will be communicated in the days to come, the Home Ministry spokesperson said on Twitter.

New Delhi, April 29:

New guidelines to fight COVID-19 which will give considerable relaxations to many districts will come into effect from May 4 when the nationwide lockdown is set to expire, the Union Home Ministry said on Wednesday.

Details will be communicated in the days to come, the Home Ministry spokesperson said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, the government announced plans to allow lakhs of migrant workers and students stranded at various places for over a month due to the nationwide lockdown to return home.

But with the COVID-19 tally rising further, fresh indications emerged about the lockdown continuing beyond May 3, at least in some form in some parts of the country.

In its evening update, the Union Health Ministry said the number of COVID-19 deaths has risen to 1,008, with a record jump of 71 in the last 24 hours, while the number of confirmed infections has climbed to 31,787.

Punjab, which has reported 375 cases and 19 deaths, announced extension of the lockdown in the state by two weeks after May 3, though some relaxations have been given in areas that do not fall under the containment or red zones.