New Delhi : A weekend lockdown will be imposed in Delhi, starting this weekend, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Delhi metro and buses will now allow 100 per cent seat occupancy to avoid crowding at bus stops and stations.
The decision was taken in a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the national capital.
“I request people to not go out during the weekends, unless it is an emergency,” Sisodia said.
“We saw in some cases that because the seating capacity in buses was curtailed, long lines and crowd were seen at bus stops. These places were at a risk of becoming super-spreaders. We have decided that buses and metros will now run at full capacity, but no one will be allowed in without masks. This is being done to ensure there is no crowding at stations and bus stops,” he added.
It was also decided that all Delhi government and municipal officials not involved in essential services will work from home. Private offices will be allowed to call 50 per cent of their staff to the office, the Deputy CM said.
Delhi saw 4,099 cases at a positivity rate of 6.49 per cent on Monday. The number of patients admitted to hospitals was 420, out of which 66 are suspected to have Covid and 12 positive cases were transferred to hospitals from the airport. As many as 211 patients are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, 124 are on oxygen support and 7 are on ventilator support.
“The graph of Omicron Covid cases is up across the world. The good thing is that international trends show that the variant is not causing severe disease. In Delhi, too, the same trend persists… Experts believe that Omicron mostly causes mild symptoms, or asymptomatic disease, and the recovery is also quick. But we do have to be careful and follow Covid appropriate behaviour. Experts believe that unless your oxygen is dropping, home isolation is the best bet. The government is wary and doesn’t want the disease to spread so that resources can be managed better,” Sisodia said.
On Monday, Delhi reported 4,099 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day spike after May 18, 2021 when the tally was also 4,482.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain also informed that COVID-19 is spreading faster and people need to be cautious. He also informed that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has tested positive for COVID-19, is experiencing mild symptoms.
“Today Arvind Kejriwal Ji has been found positive. Symptoms are mild. He is in isolation right now and he has appealed to people who have come in contact with him to must go for tests,” Jain said.
“All the protocols are being followed and he is put in isolation with great care. COVID-19 is spreading faster and people need to be cautious. If people wear masks always then they can save themselves,” he added.
On rising Omicron cases in the national capital, Jain said, “Yesterday, I said that 84 per cent of Delhi`s total COVID-19 cases in the last two days were of the Omicron variant of coronavirus”.
Earlier on Monday, Jain said, “84 per cent of the COVID19 cases reported in Delhi in the past 2 days were of the Omicron variant. Delhi`s expected to report around 4,000 cases today with the positivity rate rising to 6.5 per cent.
Delhi has been witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks following the emergence of the Omicron variant. The city reported 4,099 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the positivity rate in the national capital to 6.46 per cent, Delhi`s health department bulletin informed on Monday.
The active cases in the city have gone to 10,986 and the cumulative tally of the COVID-19 cases now stands at 14,58,220. In the last 24 hours, Delhi also witnessed one COVID-related death taking the death toll to 25,100.
Currently, 202 patients are admitted to Delhi hospitals”.
