New strict regulations have been imposed on Delhi For Covid-19

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) announced on Monday that there would be no lockdown in the national capital, though it plans to impose stricter COVID- 19 related restrictions. In the interim, with the number of cases increasing so rapidly, could the city be facing a lockdown in the days to come?

There were more than 19000 cases reported in Delhi on Monday. During the past two days, the number of complaints logged has exceeded 20,000. There were 22,751 cases reported in the national capital on Sunday, and the positivity rate rose to 23.53 per cent, while about 20,180 infections were reported on Saturday.

 

In the DDMA’s response graded system, a red alert, which signifies a total curfew, is issued if the positivity rate crosses 5%, the number of new cases crosses 16,000, or the occupancy of oxygenated beds has already exceeds 3,000.

During the meeting, LG Baijal urged the Delhi Health Department to make enough arrangements for additional staff in hospitals and to bolster vaccination campaigns, particularly for those aged 15 to 18.

Arrangements were made for police officers to make sure citizens wear masks and maintain social distance in public areas to disrupt the spread of the disease, he said.

DDMA tightens restrictions without locking down

A DDMA meeting today announced that stricter restrictions will be imposed, but the network would not be locked down. As a result, take-away services will be allowed in restaurants, while dine-in services in restaurants will cease.

In Delhi, restaurants have been banned following a frightening rise in new infections over the past few days, prompting the city’s health department to implement new curbs aimed at containing them.

Takeout and home delivery will be allowed for restaurants in the national capital, however.

The new restrictions are part of the Graded Response Action Plan, which saw the city impose weekend curfews for the past seven days.

There had been an increase in Coronavirus and its variant, Omicron, cases, which led to the meeting being called by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also attended the meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in which methods for strict enforcement of existing restrictions were discussed to counter the rising number of cases of the Coronavirus and its Omicron variant.

There were 19,166 new cases of Covid in the city today, and the positivity rate was 25%. 17 deaths were reported as well.

The new wave of infections is likely driven in part by the Omicron variant, which is more infectious than the Delta strain. The condition causes milder symptoms, but physicians warn against misjudging its severity.

Also decided was that each zone would be allowed to operate only one weekly market each day. The Metro is also considering reducing the number of seats in the trains and buses.

Besides, strict enforcement of existing restrictions was agreed upon and a possibility of imposing similar restrictions in the National Capital Territory was discussed.

Anil Baijal, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, presided over a meeting of the Delhi Development and Management Authority. There were several health department officials present at the meeting, including Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Revenue Minister Kailash Gehlot, and Chief Secretary Vijay Dev.

The data explained by CM Kejriwal is not alarming

In a statement on Sunday, Kejriwal said that the rapid rate at which the Coronavirus was spreading in Delhi had been a matter of “deep concern”. However, he cited statistics to suggest that there was no need to panic, and no lockdowns were being considered.

Currently, hospitals have low occupancy rates, and even though the number of cases is increasing, the number of beds is low as well.

On Sunday, however, the CM noted that the level of restrictions could increase from “yellow alert” to “red alert” if the Covid positivity surpasses 20%.

Satyendar Jain, minister of health, says fewer hospitals are opening for the current year

According to Health Minister Satyendar Jain last week, despite the high case positivity rate and lower incidence of serious infections this time, “hospital bed occupancy and severity of infections remain low.”

Reporters were told by a Delhi government official on Thursday that the city has a comfortable number of occupied hospital beds.

As Jain had further explained, a large number of people in Delhi are being tested for COVID-19, which drives up the number of cases in the city.

In recent years, we have conducted a large volume of tests. If we don’t continue to do that, the number of new cases can drop to 500-1,000. The majority of states don’t conduct tests and claim there aren’t cases. We have been transparent,” he has said.

Last week, DDMA held its meeting

The DDMA had taken the action in its last meeting by imposing a weekend lockdown in Delhi. Also, the government closed schools, colleges, cinemas, and gyms, in addition to enforcing restrictions on the functioning of public transport and shops.

An additional night curfew has been implemented in the city, which is effective from 10 pm (previously 11 pm) to 5 am.

As a result of the increase in COVID-19 cases in the nation’s capital, more than 300 Delhi Police employees have tested positive for the virus, including the Public Relations Officer (PRO) and Additional Commissioner Chinmoy Biswal.

Several police officers in each unit of the police department and at all police stations, including the police headquarters, have been affected by COVID-19.

During the last 24 hours alone, Delhi has reported 22,751 new COVID-19 cases, a significant increase from May 1 last year, the state health department reported on Sunday.

In the national capital, an estimated 25,219 COVID-19 cases had been reported by May 1.

According to a bulletin issued by the department of health, 23.53 per cent of people are positive for the day. Therefore, the number of people with the COVID-19 has increased to 15,49,730, including 60,733 active cases.

Ten thousand and seventeen people in the capital have recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours, making the total number of recoveries in the capital 14,63,837.

Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, 17 fatalities associated with COVID have been reported in the city. To date, twenty-five thousand one hundred sixty people have died from this infection in Delhi.

At the hospital, 1,800 patients are undergoing treatment, including 182 patients suspected of having COVID-19 and 1,618 confirmed cases.

Restaurants may be forbidden to allow customers to sit as a result of the new rules. The delivery service will continue to serve customers’ homes and the takeout service will continue as usual.

On December 29, the Delhi government issued a yellow alert as part of the Covid Graded Response Plan. As a result of this alert, restaurants have been allowed to operate at 50% capacity from 8 am to 10 pm.

Despite this, a weekend curfew was implemented last weekend, as Covid-19 cases have continued to rise. Therefore, restaurants cannot offer dine-in service, but they can deliver food.

Among the 17 deaths caused by Covid-19 reported on Sunday by Delhi, this was the highest number for a single day since June 13 last year, with 22,751 new infections as a 23.53 per cent positivity rate was recorded.

A press conference held by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday revealed that the rate at which the contagion is spreading in the city is causing him “deep concern”. In addition, he urged people to follow Covid-adequate behaviour and get vaccinated while reiterating that the government does not plan to implement a lockdown for the moment.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma