PremiumConfederation of All India Traders (CAIT)—a body representing large and small traders, retailers and shopkeepers across India on Sunday wrote to Delhi’s lieutenant governor and the chief minister asking for a 15-day lockdown in the capital with immediate effect amid a surge in covid cases.
On Saturday, Delhi reported over 24,000 fresh cases in 24 hours. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the capital is grappling with a shortage in oxygen and essential drugs such as Remdesivir. The city’s healthcare infrastructure is strained with the capital staring at a shortage of beds. The situation is serious and worrisome, he said.
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Premium Delhi is currently observing a weekend curfew as well as partial restrictions on weekdays which are applicable till end of April. Essential services are, however, allowed to function.
The chief minister has called for a cabinet meeting on Sunday as the city’s covid cases continue to rise, according to several news reports.
“The havoc wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic is growing very fast across the country and in the wake of the rapid growth of cases in Delhi, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), in the larger interest of the citizens and traders, in a letter to Delhi LG Shri Anil Baijal and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejiwal today demanded that a lockdown of at least 15 days be imposed in Delhi with immediate effect and strict measures for checking of covid positive cases be deployed at airports, railway stations, bus stand and all borders of Delhi," CAIT said.
“It is true that the lockdown will definitely affect the business and economic activities of Delhi but saving lives of people has to be the top priority," CAIT said in a statement.
Citing concern over Delhi’s covid numbers—CAIT’s national president BC Bhartia and secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said that if no concrete and logical break is applied, covid is set to explode in Delhi.
CAIT has once again urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to make a concrete plan with districts as the basic fundamental focal point to prevent coronavirus, at least in states where the infection is spreading faster, members of CAIT said.
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Premium Premium “A large number of people from different parts of Delhi are hammering demands particularly about covid related medicines but those medicines are not available at all which leads to frustration and disappointment among patients. People are feeling helpless," said Ashish Grover, CAIT's state general secretary and the general secretary of Delhi Drug Dealers Association.
Delhi's trade organizations are fully geared to supply essential commodities to people living in Delhi and are ready to assist the government in every possible way, said Khandelwal. Khandelwal has also sought a meeting of prominent trade leaders of Delhi with both LG and CM.
“We are not accusing any government or administration while describing the above situation, but it is now very important to break the covid infection chain and thus, not only a lockdown should be imposed, but effective measures may also be taken to ensure that such lockdown is strictly followed all over Delhi and at the borders," CAIT said.
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