13,500 Covid cases in 24 hours in Delhi, cancel CBSE board exams: Kejriwal to Modi government

NEW DELHI:  Worried at the continued high trajectory of new Covid-19 cases in Delhi, which registered a record single-day spike of 13,468 cases on Tuesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Centre to cancel the CBSE examinations for Classes X and XII. Terming the situation as serious, Kejriwal said for the safety of lakhs of children, the board examinations should be cancelled.

“The safety and security of children is very important to us. In the upcoming CBSE examinations, 6 lakh students will appear and 1 lakh teachers will be involved in the examination process. These examination centres have the full potential of becoming Covid hotspots,” he said. The Central Board of Secondary Education could explore other options like online exams or promoting students on the basis of internal assessments, the CM suggested.

“Several countries have done it, some states in India are doing it, too.” Pointing out that the new wave was affecting the youth as well, Kejriwal urged people aged below 45 to observe utmost precaution. Preparing for the surge on a war footing, the AAP government has once again decided to attach hotels and banquet halls to nearby hospitals to increase the bed capacity. Patients who do not require intensive, roundthe- clock care can be placed in these facilities, the government stated.

The CM once again appealed to the people not to occupy hospital beds if their symptoms are manageable at home. The government has also asked doctors to monitor each patient carefully and determine whether they need hospitalisation or not. “It’s not that the hospital or the government is shirking from their responsibility. We will provide such patients with an oximeter; our doctors will be calling them regularly to keep a check,” he said.

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Kejriwal also appealed that planned surgeries be delayed in view of the additional strain that the spiralling Covid cases have put on healthcare services and personnel. He requested recovered patients to come forward and start donating plasma to help those in need. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal also held a meeting with top government officials to take stock of the situation in the national capital.

National capital is worst affected city in country
With a record spike in cases and 81 deaths, Delhi is currently the worst affected city in the county. As per the health ministry, 879 deaths were reported in a span of 24 hours. Mumbai saw the highest single-day rise of 9,986 cases, followed by Bengaluru (6,387 cases), Chennai (2,105) and Kolkata (1,271 cases).