Delhi: The national capital Delhi has been placed under lockdown from 10 pm tonight for a week. The lockdown will be lifted at 5 am next Monday. Only essential services are spared from the lockdown.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today made the lockdown announcement after meeting Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in face of steep spike in COVID-19 cases in the national capital over the last few days. While India’s daily new cases continued to rise with 2,73,810 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours, Delhi was third in the list with 25,462 new cases. Maharashtra had reported the highest daily new cases at 68,631, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 30,566 cases. 161 new deaths were reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours due to COVID-19. Only Maharashtra with 503 deaths and Chhattisgarh with 170 daily deaths were above Delhi.
With unprecedented surge in numbers of patients, today the Delhi high court directed Centre and Delhi government to file affidavits by tomorrow disclosing hospital-wise availability of beds for Covid-19 patients in the capital.
Meanwhile, taking a cue from what happened last time during lockdown when thousands of migrant workers came out on roads and marched to the inter state bus terminus in panic, both Kejriwal and Baijal appealed to the migrant workers to remain the capital. “I appeal to Delhiites to follow lockdown which is necessary to reduce Covid cases; we will improve health system during this time,” the Chief Minister said.
Kejriwal also appealed to migrant workers not to leave the city during ‘small lockdown’.
– global bihari bureau
