Delhi strengthens enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines as infections rise again
The Delhi government has reportedly started deploying additional teams to enforce safety guidelines to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The move follows Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's announcement earlier this week regarding a "marginal increase" in the number of infections in the national capital. After seeing a brief lull in infections, COVID-19 cases have risen slightly in the city.
Additional enforcement teams deployed in all districts
A senior government official told Hindustan Times that additional enforcement teams of between eight to 20 officers were deployed in all 11 revenue districts in Delhi on Friday depending on the region's size and population density to ensure COVID-19 safety guidelines. Each team comprises an executive magistrate, and revenue and police personnel. Separately, awareness teams have also been formed, HT reported.
Significant increase in fines, says official
An official told HT, "There has been a significant increase in fines after the additional deployment. It also suggests that people have started taking things casually when they should be more alert." On Thursday, the publication had reported that since June 14, the police alone had collected a total of Rs 9.42 crore as fines from over 1.88 lakh people for not wearing masks.
Nearly 1,500 people penalized in North Delhi in one day
As on Saturday, 1,495 people had been penalized in the north district in the past 24 hours. In comparison, at the height of the outbreak between June 1-15, around 146 penalties were recorded daily. In the central district, 2,101 people were penalized after the additional deployment against 168 daily penalties between June 1-15. Data for other districts is yet to be collated and reported.
How bad is the outbreak in Delhi?
Till Saturday, Delhi reported a total of 1,71,366 cases, which includes 14,040 active infections. The death toll is 4,404. On Saturday, Delhi witnessed 1,954 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, marking the biggest single-day spike since July 10. This week, Delhi has seen an average of 1,600 new cases, up from over 1,200 average daily new infections in the week before.
