Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi is not expected to announce a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid cases, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Sunday. Around 22,000 cases are expected to be reported in the city on Sunday, up from a little over 20,000 cases on Saturday, he said, addressing a webcast.
Urging people to not panic, but wear masks to protect themselves against the virus, Kejriwal said, “There will be no lockdown in the city if you wear masks. We don’t want to impose a lockdown; that is not our intention… We want to impose as few restrictions as possible so that people’s livelihoods are not impacted.”
A health worker collects swab samples of passengers to conduct COVID-19 test, amid concern over rise in Omicron virus variant cases, at the Anand Vihar railway station near New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary) A Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting has been scheduled with healthcare experts on Monday and a review of the status of hospital bed occupancy, cases and restrictions are on the agenda.
Kejriwal, who said Sunday that he had recovered from Covid, added that precautions must be taken against the disease. “There will be around 22,000 cases in Delhi on Sunday. But there is no need to panic. I am saying this after studying data properly. It was on May 7 last year that we had a similar number of cases. Then, 341 people had died in a day and around 20,000 hospital beds were occupied. Yesterday (Saturday) there were 7 deaths. In this wave, the number of deaths and the rate of hospitalisation are low. I haven’t told you this so that you stop wearing masks and become irresponsible. I am telling you this so that you don’t panic. Wearing masks is extremely important,” he said.
He also urged all those who have not been vaccinated to get their shots as soon as possible. “Those who haven’t got vaccinated, please do so. It is not like the vaccine will protect you completely from disease, but it will save you from severe symptoms. Please get vaccinated,” he said.
Out of the 1.5 crore adults in Delhi who were eligible for the Covid vaccine, around 1.15 crore have received both doses. Vaccination for children between the ages of 15 and 17 began on January 3. Since then, 2.42 lakh have got the first shot.
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