Under the MHA guidelines, sales of items that are not listed on the E-Commerce Platform, including mobile phones, are only allowed in areas where corona cases do not exist. Orange and Green listed districts can now be purchased online. The government has also announced that no such services will be allowed in the Redzones.
Postal and courier services will be started
Those who wish to purchase a new smartphone or laptop can book online, as they allow the supply of non-essential items. In April, the government allowed the supply of essential goods through e-commerce platforms, but banned the distribution of non-essential goods. So Amazon and Flipkart have stopped selling smartphones and laptops.
With the relaxation of restrictions in select areas, smartphone companies will start releasing new phones. OnePlus 8 just a few weeks ago announced the OnePlus 8 series phones in the Indian market. The company also announced the price of this phone. But sales have been halted due to the lockdown. Apple has also announced the iPhone SE in India for Rs 42,990.
Currently, the central list is in Redzone, Kottayam and Kannur. Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kasaragod and Idukki, which were earlier in Redzone, have moved to Orange. With this the ten districts are in the orange zone. Ernakulam and Wayanad which were in the Orange Zone have now moved to the Green Zone. As per the current list, all the districts of Kerala except Kottayam and Kannur can purchase the items that are not listed in the list of essential commodities.
While e-commerce platforms are allowed to sell items in the Orange and Green Zones, which are not listed in the Essential Commodities list, the smartphone section of Amazon’s website shows that all new smartphones are unavailable. It is unclear when and how these sites will be restored.
