Delhi Lockdown Latest Update: As coronavirus cases have gone down drastically, the Delhi government on Saturday relaxed restrictions and allowed markets to open as per normal timing. Issuing fresh order, the Kejriwal government said that the markets will adhere to strict COVID guidelines.

Saying that the markets were allowed to function till 8 PM due to COVID-19, the Kejriwal government said that this restriction will be removed starting from Monday.

“The markets of Delhi were allowed to function till 8 PM due to COVID-19. In wake of decreasing cases, this restriction will be removed starting Monday. Now the markets can open as per their normal time,” Kejriwal said.

The Delhi unlock guidelines will come into force from Monday and it will apply to all shops, including those in shopping complexes and malls. Also, restaurants in the city can now stay open beyond 10 PM.

The announcement from Delhi government comes on a day when the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) demanded that the closing time of malls and markets in the national capital should be extended from the present 8 pm to 10 pm.

In the letter to Delhi CM, the CTI said the permission to operate shops till 8 PM is proving to be insufficient for most of the retail markets, especially during the festive season.

On August 7, the Delhi government had allowed the weekly markets in the national capital to reopen but urged people to follow appropriate COVID guidelines once the markets open.

“Weekly markets are being opened from Monday. These are poor people. The government is quite concerned about their livelihoods. However, everyone’s health and lives are also important. I urge everyone to follow Covid appropriate behaviour after these markets are opened,” CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

Notably, the national capital was under a Covid-19 induced lockdown from April 19 to May 30, as the country battled a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

It must be noted that the weekly markets in the national capital were closed after lockdown were imposed on April 19 as the city witnessed a surge in cases during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

In the recent months, Delhi was reeling under a brutal second wave of the pandemic that was sweeping the country, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with the recent oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals.

Corona cases: The national capital on Friday reported 57 fresh Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.08 per cent. However, no death due to the viral infection was recorded in the city on the day. This is the eleventh time since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in Delhi that zero fatality has been logged in a day. On July 18, July 24, July 29, August 2, August 4, August 8, August 11 and August 12, August 13 and August 16 too, no death due to Covid-19 was recorded, according to official data.