Ahead of the festive season, Delhi seems to be heading toward yet another period of tightened Covid-19 protocols with the capital logging 125 fresh cases on Wednesday. The growing cases of Omicron have also put a dampener on festive spirits with authorities in Delhi opposing any Christmas and New Year gathering in Delhi this year.
No Christmas or New Year
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday asked the District Magistrates to make sure that no Christmas or New Year gathering take place in Delhi in the upcoming week. DMs have also been directed to identify potential Covid-19 superspreader areas in the capital.
In its order, the DCMA banned all "social/political/cultural/religious/festival related gatherings".
Spike in Omicron cases
The new developments come even as Delhi continued to witness a rising number of Omicron cases. As of Tuesday's data, there are a total of 54 Omicron cases in the national capital. On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that all samples that test positive for Covid-19 will now be sent for genome sequencing.
Delhi prepared for potential 'third wave'
Delhi health authorities seem to have already braced themselves for a potential outbreak As early as November 30, the Arvind Kejriwal government had started reviewing its preparedness in the face of a potential 'third wave' of Covid-19 and Omicron outbreak.
.The number of containment zones in the city has been increased from 173 to 184 on Tuesday. 23,000 Covid-19 beds are prepped and ready in Delhi. Additionally, the government is planning to arrange 100 beds per ward on a two-week notice. If implemented, the total number of beds in Delhi will grow by 64,000.
In a statement, the government also announced that 6,800 ICU beds will also be ready very soon to tackle any severe outbreak of Covid-19 or its Omicron variant. Efforts are also being made to improve and develop home isolation arrangements and hospitals are getting booster stocks of medicines.
Call for boosters
Delhi CM Kejriwal has urged the Centre to allow the administration of booster shots to the fully vaccinated city residents. The demand comes amid a growing chorus for booster shots across the country, especially for vulnerable sections of the population such as senior citizens of those with comorbidities.
(With PTI inputs)
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_200_320.jpeg "People Throng To Shelter Homes As Cold Wave Sweeps Delhi")
