The DDMA discussed further restrictions such as closing dine-in facility in restaurants and scaling down seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, officials said. (PTI photo)Delhi Live News: Restaurants and bars will be shut from tomorrow onward. Only ‘take away’ and home delivery to be allowed.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Monday decided not to impose lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 and discussed further restrictions such as closing dine-in facility in restaurants and scaling down seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, officials said.
A DDMA meeting, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also discussed ways to strictly enforce existing restrictions to check rising cases of the coronavirus and its Omicron variant. It was discussed in the DDMA meeting that restrictions imposed in Delhi should also be imposed in National Capital Territory Region to prevent rise in cases. The city buses and Metro trains are permitted to operate with a 100 per cent seating capacity.
Kejriwal had on Sunday said the rapid speed at which the coronavirus was spreading in Delhi had been a matter of “deep concern”, yet added there was no plan to impose lockdown. There would be no lockdown if people wear masks, he had stated.
Delhi has not reported any new case of the Omicron variant for two days now, maintaining a tally of 513 infections so far, data showed on Monday. Meanwhile, the city recorded 22,751 new Covid-19 cases and 17 deaths on in the last 24 hours. The total positivity rate on Sunday went to 23.53 per cent. The number of active cases stood at 60,733 while over 10,000 people recovered.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 precaution dose for healthcare workers, frontline workers and persons aged above 60 with co-morbidities started rolling out in Delhi from Monday. According to Centre’s directions, the third dose will be of the same vaccine as the first two jabs and will be given to those who were vaccinated nine months ago. In another development, more than 300 Delhi Police personnel, including the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Monday. Additionally, at least 750 doctors and hundreds more nurses and paramedics from the six major hospitals in Delhi are currently down with virus.
As per the data, a total of 141 Omicron patients have been cured and discharged so far.
Restaurants and bars will be shut from tomorrow onward. Only 'take away' and home delivery to be allowed.
The East Delhi Municipal Corporation’s ‘Corona Mitra’ helpline has received around 200 calls since its launch two days ago, with people calling to ask whether they should get tested after showing symptoms, or to discuss the anxieties in families that lost loved ones to the virus.
Nodal officer of the helpline, Dr Gladbin Tyagi, said the corporation typically advises people to get tested: “People who do not get themselves tested have a tendency to start venturing out after they feel better.”
He said they have also been receiving calls from people “who lost relatives in previous waves and are worried”. “They wanted reassurance that this version is milder and asked about any precautions they should take,” he said.
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Anil Mittal, Delhi Police Additional PRO said that over 1,129 police personnel have tested positive for Covid in the last 10 days. Most of them are in home isolation and recovering. They are all vaccinated.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Monday decided not to impose lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 and discussed further restrictions such as closing dine-in facility in restaurants and scaling down seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, officials said.
A DDMA meeting, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also discussed ways to strictly enforce existing restrictions to check rising cases of the coronavirus and its Omicron variant.
It was discussed in the DDMA meeting that restrictions imposed in Delhi should also be imposed in National Capital Territory Region to prevent rise in cases. Currently, dine-in facility in restaurants is allowed to operate at 50 per cent of their seating capacity. The city buses and Metro trains are permitted to operate with 100 per cent seating capacity.
Kejriwal had on Sunday said the rapid speed at which the coronavirus was spreading in Delhi had been a matter of 'deep concern', yet added there was no plan to impose lockdown. There would be no lockdown if people wear masks, he had stated. (PTI)
The District Disaster Management Authority in its covid-19 review meeting on Monday said restaurants will be asked to encourage people to go for takeaway and delivery options instead of dining-in. "It is better that people take the call themselves before livelihoods are affected," sources said.
Other discussion points were to have uniform restrictions in Delhi as well as NCR towns. The hospital bed capacity and mortality in Covid patients was also discussed in detail.
Several senior Delhi Police officers were asked to return their official vehicles after an audit found that they were still using them despite retiring or being transferred, The Indian Express has learnt.
This comes months after 535 police personnel attached with former commissioners, retired officers and judges were taken off from those assignments, following a similar audit of deployment of officers.
The latest audit, on vehicles with the Delhi Police, was conducted as part of Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana’s plan to strengthen staff and resources at all police stations and units. “The general administration department was asked to conduct an audit and they asked all districts and units to provide details of cars they are using,” a senior police officer said.
Manindra Agrawal, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at IIT Kanpur, talks about his prediction of the third wave peaking in Mumbai and Delhi in mid-January, projecting four to eight lakh cases a day in India and why he thinks this model is more accurate than others. This session was moderated by Amitabh Sinha, Resident Editor (Pune), The Indian Express.
Read the full interview here
Rains have finally stopped in Delhi with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting a drop in minimum temperature later this week.
Between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 am on Monday, the Safdarjung weather observatory recorded 5.4 mm of rainfall. Till Sunday evening, the station had recorded 63.6 mm of rainfall this month. This is the highest amount of rain that the capital has seen in January in the last 26 years, according to the IMD. This is just short of 69.8 mm of rain that was recorded in January 1995.
Two consecutive western disturbances brought rainfall to northwest India since January 4. The rain subsided on account of the absence of high levels of moisture from the Arabian Sea, IMD said. High levels of moisture coming in from the sea had sustained the long wet spell over northwest and central India.
Healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) who have completed 9 months or 39 weeks from the date of second dose vaccination as registered on the CoWIN portal are eligible for precaution dose vaccination. Similar is the criteria for the persons aged above 60 with co-morbidities, and no medical certificate is required for eligible beneficiaries to avail precaution dose.
According to Centre’s directions, the third dose will be of the same vaccine as the first two jabs and will be given to those who were vaccinated nine months ago.
Asha Devi Kalyani, 82 , resident of East Kidwayi Nagar
My entire family was tested positive in the last wave and believe me, it was not easy. We went through a very rough phase. This time, I don't want to go through that pain. The cases will increase but get your vaccine, wear masks and have hope that everything will be over soon. I request everyone from youngsters to my age persons to get the vaccine and fight this virus.
NRS Kalyani, 84, says: It is sad and painful that another wave is coming but at the same time I am happy that the government has started the vaccination drive early and making all arrangements. I was tested positive earlier during the second wave and it was very scary. I request everyone to come forward and get the immunity booster.
As the Covid-19 rollout started on Monday, The Indian Express spoke with senior citizens who got their jabs.
Laxmi Narayan, 64, resident of East Kidwayi Nagar says, "I am feeling very much better. I tested positive in the first wave and I took both the (doses of the) vaccine. People should not fear and come out to get the vaccine. There is no pain and scare, just get vaccinated and wear mask. Nothing will happen, the corona will go and everyone will be safe."
Covid-19 precaution dose for healthcare workers, frontline workers and persons aged above 60 with co-morbidities started rolling out in Delhi from Monday.
Across the country, an estimated 1.05 crore healthcare and 1.9 crore frontline workers, and 2.75 crore comorbid people in the 60 plus age group would be administered the precaution dose according to schedule, Health Ministry said.
Delhi has not reported any case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus for two days now, maintaining a tally of 513 infections so far, data by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed on Monday. However, Rajasthan has shot past Delhi and recorded 156 Omicron cases in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra continues to have the highest number of Omicron cases with a tally of 1,216 till Monday, the Union health ministry data also showed.
Delhi reported 48 new cases of Omicron variant on Saturday—the reports of genome sequencing in the Capital come back in bulk every two or three days
Amid an uptick in coronavirus cases, the Delhi government has taken action against 5,073 people for not wearing masks in public or work places. to p Covid-appropriate behaviour. According to official data, 61 FIRs were registered on Saturday against those not following Covid-appropriate behaviour and a fine of Rs.1.25 crores was collected from the violators.
The data stated that 5,073 people were challaned for violation of masks, 74 for not maintaining social distancing and 51 people were fined for spitting in public places in its 11 districts
Delhi's three municipal corporations -- North, East and South -- have sealed 24 liquor shops till December 31 and 113 such establishments were served notices for violating municipal laws or the master plan 2021, civic authorities have said. These shops were set up under the Delhi government's new excise policy, which came into force on November 17 last year, they said. Under the new excise policy, the Delhi government has privatised retail liquor sale, allocating 849 vends across the city through a tendering process. It has quit the retail liquor sale.
The Delhi health department has directed all private hospitals and nursing homes to ensure that their health care staff treating non-Covid patients maintain coronavirus appropriate behaviour and are routinely checked for the infection. The health care workers showing symptoms of COVID-19 should not be allowed to work till their RTPCR report is negative, it said. The directions come in view of a surge in Covid cases in ICUs, dialysis units and wards of hospitals.
The department said infected health care workers and undiagnosed infected patients are likely the reason behind the spread of the infection in these areas.
India on Monday recorded 1,79,723 fresh Covid-19 cases, pushing the active caseload to 7,23,619. The daily positivity rate stood at 13.29 per cent, while 146 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.
Amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the national capital, more than 300 Delhi Police personnel, including the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Monday.
"More than 300 police personnel have been infected. They belong to different units of the force and are under quarantine," said a senior police officer. The overall strength of the Delhi Police is over 80,000. Recently, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for preventing the spread of the coronavirus among police personnel.
The restaurant industry is once again facing hardships with restrictions being imposed in the national capital due to a sharp spike in Covid cases fuelled by the omicron variant. Several owners pointed to e-passes acting as a hurdle in food delivery.
On Friday, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) tagged the Chief Minister’s Office in a tweet and sought help in resolving the e-pass problem for the food and beverage industry. “We aren’t getting them, leading to severe harassment. We will be compelled to shut down delivery as well if this isn’t resolved right away.”
CM Arvind Kejriwal responded, saying to send him their contact details (to get the issue resolved.) (With Abhinav Rajput)