New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to take a final call on the extension of lockdown on Sunday. While the total shutdown in the national capital is scheduled to end on Monday (May 17), reports claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi might extend the lockdown by another week, i.e, May 24, despite the steep drop in the coronavirus cases and positivity rate.
On April 19, CM Kejriwal had announced a six-day lockdown to break the chain of the coronavirus infection and boost the health system that was about to collapse. The shutdown was later extended thrice to bring the situation under control. Last week Kejriwal extended the lockdown till May 17, saying that any leniency would squander the gains achieved so far in the current wave of the pandemic. The AAP govt had imposed strict measures like suspension of Metro trains and prohibition of wedding ceremonies at public venues.
Earlier, National Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) had requested Kejriwal to lift the lockdown and open markets in a phased manner ‘with strict enforcement of laws’. Speaking to PTI, National Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) president Atul Bhargava said that nobody was in favour of the lockdown since the beginning. “But they had no option since the coronavirus cases in Delhi were rising. However, now we are of the opinion that the government instead of extending lockdown should open the markets in a phased manner with strict enforcement of laws and proper sanitisation”, he added.
On the other hand, Dr. Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had asked the Delhi government to extend the lockdown. He had suggested that restrictions should not be lifted from districts where the rate of infection is above 10% of those tested. At present, major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have test-positivity rate above 10%. “If Delhi is opened tomorrow, it will be a disaster”, a portal quoted Bhargava as saying.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Kejriwal had asserted that COVID cases have dipped in the last few days and the positivity rate has declined to 11 per cent. In the last 24 hours, Capital city recorded 6,430 new COVID-19 cases and 337 deaths.