In view of the "continuous decline" in coronavirus cases in Delhi, the Union Home Ministry has directed a phased closure of two special and temporary Covid care centres in the national capital on Tuesday.

While the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Covid hospital located in the Delhi Cantonment area is managed by the DRDO, the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre operational in south Delhi's Chhattarpur area is managed by the ITBP.

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The Home Ministry has asked the Defence Research and Development Organisation to "close down" the facility run by it and directed the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) to withdraw their health professionals manning this centre and ordered the same with "immediate effect" to the ITBP for the Chhattarpur facility, according to a directive accessed by news agency PTI.

The two facilities will be closed in phases. Those admitted will be discharged gradually and no new admissions will be made now, as per the report.

A review meeting was held by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla earlier this month along with officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, AFMS, ITBP and the DRDO following which the decision to close down the two temporary facilities, which began operations in June-July last year, was taken.

The MHA said the two centres are being closed "due to continuous decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Territory of Delhi vis-a-vis adequate availability of medical facilities".

It was also formulated in the meeting that the medical manpower of various Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) working in the ITBP-run centre should now be deployed to their respective locations after they were brought here under special circumstances to manage the spiralling cases of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Delhi reported 128 new coronavirus cases and 157 recoveries in a span of 24 hours.

Delhi: MHA orders closure of two special Covid centres as cases decline in Capital