Movie theatres are opening in many states from Thursday, while religious gathering with restrictions are also now allowed. Some states have also decided to open schools in a graded manner in the next phase of the opening up of the country 7 months after Covid restrictions. The measures also come at a time when the country heads into winter, conditions in which the Covid is projected to last longer and infection is feared to get worse due to increased pollution. Most states are still playing it safe. While only 5 states have decided to open schools for classes 9-12 only, many states still have not given a go ahead to movie theatres.