Weekend curfew imposed in Delhi

A weekend lockdown will be imposed in Delhi from this weekend, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Tuesday. Also, 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 noticed 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.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain said nearly 5,500 fresh cases of Covid have been reported in Delhi on Tuesday, with a positivity rate of about 8.5 per cent. Jain also asserted that the weekend curfew should not be treated as a lockdown.

On Monday, Delhi saw 4,099 cases at a positivity rate of 6.49 per cent. 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.

Source: The Indian Express