Delhi lifts night curfew, other curbs as COVID-19 cases dip
The government of Delhi has decided to lift various restrictions as cases of the coronavirus continue to fall. On Friday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) held a meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital city. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, however, urged residents to keep following all COVID-19-related precautions such as wearing of face masks.
Why does this story matter?
The removal of curbs comes as COVID-19 cases and the test positivity rate come down in the city. The government was also concerned about people facing hardships due to the loss of jobs, Kejriwal said. On Thursday, Delhi registered 556 new coronavirus infections and six deaths while the positivity rate stood at 1.10%. Delhi's daily cases in the latest wave had touched nearly 30,000.
What relaxations have been given?
Night curfew in Delhi will come to an end from Monday. All schools can restart on-campus classes from April 1. The fine for not wearing face masks has been reduced from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 500. Earlier, the government had lifted the weekend curfew and shortened the duration for night curfew. But the restrictions may be brought back if the test positivity rate rises.
Trade unions had called for relaxations
The decision comes after political leaders and trade unions called for lifting of curbs. In fact, the Chamber of Trade and Industry, a traders' association in Delhi, had recently written to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to request relaxations.
COVID-19 situation across India
Across India, 13,166 new COVID-19 cases were added on Friday as the nationwide tally climbed to 4,28,94,345. Meanwhile, the country's death count stood at 5,13,226 after an addition of 302 fatalities, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. Daily COVID-19 cases have remained below one lakh for nearly three weeks now. India had seen a third wave peak of around 3,50,000 daily infections.
