Lockdown might be imposed in Delhi

Lockdown might be imposed in Delhi

As Covid cases soar in National Capital, Delhi governments plans to impose another lockdown owing to the crisis stretching its roots in the Capital. Witnessing the climbing curve of infection in the past few weeks, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded the support of the Centre to lend him the power to enforce strict lockdown in crowded marketplaces which are on the verge of becoming Covid hotspots in the following days. The festive season, previous week saw an unpreventable spike in cases due to the negligence of citizens in wake of festive excitement and inability of shopkeepers to cope up with crowds breaking in markets. 

The Chief Minister in an online briefing said, "We have sent a proposal to the central government seeking the allowance to halt the functioning of major markets posing a potential to become the hotspots of infection contact." Markets possess a high risk of communication of viruses, especially when they are overpopulated, defying Covid protocols and proposed guidelines of personal safety.A proposal has also been forwarded to Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to withdraw his decision allowing a gathering of 200 people in marriage ceremonies or other celebrations, and reinstate the previous order, restricting the head count to 50.

The Chief Minister assured people of a plan to counter the deteriorating situation. He appealed to the citizens with folded hands to wear masks and practice social distancing for the safety of family and community. The Centre has also promised help and have already provided 750 ICU beds, doubling the number of RT-PCR tests and house to house surveys to detect the health of citizens.

This decision was emphasized in public after the meeting of the Chief Minister with Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the same issues addressed above. He extended his gratitude to the Centre for their overwhelming support in times of pandemic. The city has seen a tremendous rise of 8500+ cases on November 11 while a significant drop in cases has been observed to 3000 but due to reduced testing than usual. Death toll had climbed to 100+ last Thursday. The alarming situation has evoked the need of unconditional support by citizens and enforcement of strict laws by the government.