Delhi in lockdown for the next six days
- While the national daily cases are crawling towards 3 lakhs cases, Delhi has been recording over 25,000 cases daily
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The national capital imposed lockdown measures for six days as it battled the sharpest surge in daily infections, putting intense pressure on hospital beds, medical oxygen, covid testing and medicines.
The national capital imposed lockdown measures for six days as it battled the sharpest surge in daily infections, putting intense pressure on hospital beds, medical oxygen, covid testing and medicines.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the lockdown to stem infections will end at 5am on 26 April.
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Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the lockdown to stem infections will end at 5am on 26 April.
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The restrictions on daily life, however, won’t be as strict as last year to minimize the economic damage caused by stringent lockdowns.
Kejriwal said Delhi’s healthcare system would not be able to cope with the rising number of patients requiring hospitalization without the curbs. The capital city has been recording about 25,000 cases a day, more than thrice the highest daily additions last year.
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“If we do not impose a lockdown now, we might face a tragedy. We do not want Delhi to face a situation where patients are lying on the corridors or losing their lives on the streets at any cost," Kejriwal said, adding that all essential services such as food and medicine will be exempt from the restrictions.
“This is also the wedding season. Only 50 people would be allowed to attend a wedding for which separate passes would be issued. A detailed order would be published in a while, stating all services that would continue and all those that would be prohibited," Kejriwal said.
The chief minister said Delhi’s health infrastructure is under tremendous stress, with beds and oxygen in short supply. “If strict measures are not taken now, the health system in Delhi can collapse. In this six-day period, the Delhi government would arrange for a large number of beds and utilize this lockdown to arrange for oxygen and medicines," said Kejriwal.
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India’s daily new cases continued to rise, with 273,810 cases reported in the past 24 hours. Ten states—Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan—accounted for 79% of the new cases, according to the Union health ministry. Maharashtra reported the highest new cases at 68,631, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 30,566. Over 20 states are now displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases.
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Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala cumulatively accounted for 63% of India’s total active cases. As many as 1,619 covid deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 503, followed by Chhattisgarh at 170.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with doctors across the country via video conferencing amid reports of shortage of beds, oxygen cylinders and medicines. Modi noted that the pandemic’s second wave is spreading rapidly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and called for accelerating efforts to upgrade resources in such places. The Centre, he said, has taken steps to increase the supply of essential medicines, injections and sufficient availability of oxygen. “Vaccination is the biggest weapon. The doctors should encourage more and more patients to get vaccinated," he added.
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