Weeklong lockdown in Delhi from tonight: CM Arvind Kejriwal
On Sunday, Delhi recorded the biggest jump in its daily COVID-19 tally with 25,462 fresh cases, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74 percent.
Amidst an exponential surge in COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced the national capital will be under lockdown for six days, starting from today at 10 PM and will conclude on April 26 at 5 AM.
Gyms, spas, cinema halls, and auditoriums will remain closed.
However, essential services will be exempted during the weeklong curfew, sources said, adding that all private and government offices will work remotely. Curfew pass for marriages will be mandatory, and it will remain unaffected. Only 50 people will be allowed in marriage ceremonies.
The decision was taken during a meeting attended by CM Kejriwal, L-G Anil Baijal, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava, Delhi's deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendra Jain, and other officials.
The decision on extending the curfew for one more week was proposed by Kejriwal, which the L-G approved. Earlier, Arvind Kejriwal had announced a weekend curfew in Delhi from 10 PM on April 16 till 6 AM on April 19.
"I appeal to Delhiites to follow lockdown, which is necessary to reduce COVID cases; we will improve the healthcare system during this time," said CM Kejriwal.
He also appealed to migrant workers not to leave Delhi during this small lockdown.
On Sunday, Delhi recorded the biggest jump in its daily COVID-19 tally, with 25,462 fresh cases, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74 percent. A day ago, 24,375 COVID-19 cases and 167 deaths were reported in the national capital.
As the city witnesses an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases, Kejriwal shot off letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, urging them to ramp up bed capacity in central government-run hospitals and to ensure uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen.
"The COVID situation has become very serious in Delhi. There is a huge shortage of beds and oxygen. I request that at least 7,000 out of 10,000 beds in central government hospitals in Delhi be reserved for COVID-19 patients, and oxygen be immediately provided in Delhi," he wrote in the letter to PM Modi.
Edited by Suman Singh