Arvind Kejriwal key announcements: Delhi borders to open from Monday; hotels\, banquet halls to remain shut

Arvind Kejriwal key announcements: Delhi borders to open from Monday; hotels, banquet halls to remain shut

While malls and restaurants will resume activity from Monday as per the Centre's guidelines, hotels and banquet halls in Delhi will remain shut, Arvind Kejriwal said. "These hotels and banquet halls might have to be turned into hospitals in the future," he said.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: June 7, 2020 12:25:59 pm
delhi coronavirus, arvind kejriwal on coronavirus, delhi lockdown, delhi covid-19, delhi city news Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Delhi border, which was sealed last week, will be open for inter-state movement from Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday. “We are opening Delhi borders from tomorrow,” he said in his address to citizens via video-conferencing.

Reiterating his apprehension that city hospitals may get swamped by people from other states in the absence of restrictions, Kejriwal said the medical facilities offered by the state government will be restricted to the city dwellers till the rising coronavirus cases are contained.

A few private hospitals which perform special surgeries and attract patients from all over will also run as usual, the chief minister announced.

While malls and restaurants will resume activity from Monday as per the Centre’s guidelines, hotels and banquet halls will remain shut, he added. “These hotels and banquet halls might have to be turned into hospitals in the future,” he said.

With rising coronavirus figures in the city, the chief minister had last week sealed its borders, restricting the inter-state movement of non-Delhi residents while permitting only the operation of essential services.

Seeking “guidance”, the Aam Aadmi Party chief had said a final decision on whether or not beds in hospitals will be reserved for Delhi residents will be taken based on feedback from the public, experts and other stakeholders, for which the government had issued helpline numbers. Suggestions were accepted until June 5.

“Should Delhi’s borders be opened? Corona cases are rising in the city, but I have maintained that it is not a matter of worry as we have invested a lot in beefing up healthcare over the last five years. People from all across the country come to Delhi for their medical treatment because, first, Delhi’s healthcare system is better than the healthcare system of any other state in the country.”

“Second, medical services in government hospitals in Delhi are free of cost. As soon as we open the borders, people from across the country will come to Delhi for better treatment. We have a capacity of 9,500 beds for corona treatment in Delhi hospitals against 2,300 patients today, but all the beds will be occupied in just two-three days if we have an influx of patients from across the country,” Kejriwal said.

He said there are suggestions that borders should be opened but medical treatment in the hospitals should only be available to residents of Delhi. “But how can we do that? Delhi is the national capital of the country and it belongs to all, even to people of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra. How can Delhi deny treatment to all these people now? Some people believe that this practice should be adopted only until corona. We have various suggestions and we need your guidance on what should be done,” he said.

Besides this, as part of further relaxations, the chief minister last week removed the limit on the number of commuters that can be ferried by autos, e-rickshaws or gramin sewa vehicles. There will also be no cap in case of private cars, and two-wheelers will be allowed to ferry a pillion rider. “The cap was impractical,” Kejriwal said.