NEW DELHI: For the first time, the national capital crossed the 4,000 mark in per day Covid-19 cases. As per the state health bulletin issued on Wednesday, the city registered 4,039 cases, the highest since March 2, when the first case was reported. The last time Delhi saw the highest cases in a single day was on June 23 with 3,947 cases. Since then the cases had dropped.

However, from the mid-August, fresh positives started showing an upward trend. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, however, played down the matter and said there was no need to worry. “The day also marked the highest number of tests, 54,517, against 15,000-20,000 till last week. If we did the same number of tests, today’s cases would be less than 1,500.

So, don’t be scared,” he tweeted. “The number of deaths continues to be low. It is 20 today, against more than 100 per day in June. Through aggressive testing, we are isolating the positive cases and preventing the pandemic spread,” Kejriwal said. As the CM continued to put up a brave front, his Aam Aadmi Party government indicated that migrants were responsible for the spike in cases.

This was clear on Wednesday in a review meeting where the CM, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, senior officials and medical superintendents of Delhi government-run hospitals were present. Delhi government officials informed Kejriwal that one of the key reasons for the case spiral was migrants’ return to the city.

“Officials told the Chief Minister that people coming to Delhi in search of livelihood, the increase in number of tests and negligence by some people are the reasons for the rise in corona cases,” said the government in a statement. The outsider issue has been a cause of worry for the AAP government ever since the Covid-induced lockdown began.

In the past, Kejriwal government sealed borders and reserved beds only for Delhi residents, a decision later overturned by Lieutenant Governor Baijal. Baijal recently directed the Delhi Disaster Management Authority to increase testing at the city’s entry points such as ISBTs and railway stations.

‘No lockdown again’
The government has ruled out possibility of another lockdown, with Health Minister Satyendar Jain asserting that the economy “cannot be kept shut for eternity” as livelihoods of millions depend on it.