A six-day lockdown has been ordered in the national capital beginning Monday night as the city grapples with an exponential surge in Covid-19 cases that has put the health infrastructure under severe strain.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the lockdown from Monday night 10:00 pm to 5:00 am on April 26 and utilise the time to add hospital beds, organise oxygen supplies and medical staff to tackle the fourth wave of the pandemic in the city.
Delhi reported 25,462 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, almost one-third of the number of persons tested for the infectious disease. The national capital has 74,941 active cases of Covid-19.
“Delhi’s healthcare system is under tremendous strain. It has not collapsed. But no healthcare system can hand innumerable cases on a daily basis,” Kejriwal said.
दिल्ली में तेज़ी से बढ़ते कोरोना मामलों के मद्देनज़र एक महत्वपूर्ण घोषणा | Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/zAECIEcZ53
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 19, 2021
He urged the migrant labourers not to leave the capital and said that the government will take care of their needs.
“If we don't impose a lockdown now, we will be staring at a bigger tragedy,” Kejriwal said, adding that businesses would be shut and movement in the national capital would be limited to essential services.
He said wedding ceremonies will be allowed during the lockdown and special passes will be issued for the purpose. However, he said the gathering at such functions should be limited to 50 persons.
“The lockdown does not out an end to the pandemic but just slows down the speed at which it is spreading. We will use this six-day lock down to improve our healthcare facilities,” he said.
As per the order issued by the Delhi government, shopping centres, malls, manufacturing units educational and coaching institutes, cinema and theatres, restaurants and bars, auditoriums and assembly halls, public parks, gardens, sports complexes will be closed.
“All social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious, festival related and other gathering and congregations shall be prohibited,” the government order read.
However, stadia will be permitted to open for organising national and international sports events without spectators.