Delhi relaxes lockdown further: Bars, parks can reopen, gyms still shut

THE NEW phase of unlockdown in the national capital, which was battered by the second Covid wave, will see bars reopening and restaurants being allowed to serve alcohol starting Monday. Parks, gardens, golf courses and outdoor yoga have also been permitted under the new guidelines issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority Sunday.

However, educational institutions, gyms, spas and yoga institutes, and movie theatres, will continue to be shut while all social, political and sports gatherings and congregations remain banned.

“Bars are allowed upto 50% seating capacity from noon to 10 pm. Owners of restaurants and bars shall be responsible for strict adherence to the prescribed SOPs and guidelines issued by the Government of India/Delhi government,” the DDMA order states.

The latest relaxations are applicable for a week, after which they will be reviewed. Last week, all shops, markets and malls were allowed to reopen without restrictions, which led to crowding at popular markets.

On Sunday, 124 new cases were recorded in Delhi, and the positivity rate was 0.17%. Deaths in a day dropped to seven, and hospital bed occupancy dropped to 1,281 out of over 23,000 beds.

Malls and restaurants in Noida and Ghaziabad will also open with limited capacity from Monday with a 50% cap on occupancy. Last week, the UP government had decided to allow more relaxations as Covid cases dipped across the state. However, the lockdown will continue on weekends.

Noida reported eight cases in the last 24 hours with the tally of active cases coming down to 133. Ghaziabad reported two cases with 93 active infections across the district in 24 hours.

In the second wave, Delhi announced a week-long lockdown on April 19, which was extended every week for six weeks.

After cases started dipping and the positivity rate fell to around 1% in the last week of March, a gradual unlock process began, with construction activities and factories allowed to reopen. This was followed by the opening of markets and malls on an odd-even basis the week after that.