Delhi would need 80,000 additional hospital beds by the end of July in view of the rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases in the city, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.

“Numbers show that coronavirus is going to spread rapidly in Delhi. By June 15, there might be 42,000 cases in the city, going up to 500,000 by the end of July,” he said in a televised statement.

Days after Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal reversed his government’s decision to reserve Delhi government hospitals for the treatment of the city’s residents, Kejriwal said his government would follow the Centre’s overriding decision. "We are not debating, or fighting over anything. We will totally stick to the decision taken by the L-G,” he said.

"In the past one week, Delhi hospitals have admitted 1,900 people and 4,200 beds are still available. By 31 July, 80,000 beds will be required in Delhi... It is an unprecedented challenge, daunting even, but we will do our best to meet the medical needs of all,” he said.

Kejriwal, who had gone for a coronavirus test himself on Tuesday, confirmed that he had not been found to be infected.