Coronavirus: Delhi government extends lockdown till May 3, says Kejriwal
In light of the worsening COVID-19 situation in Delhi, the ongoing lockdown has been extended by one more week till next Monday (May 3), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday. A six-day lockdown had been imposed in the city last Monday. Notably, the number of COVID-19 infections and mortalities in Delhi has failed to decline. Here are more details.
Lockdown to be extended by 1 more week: Kejriwal
Kejriwal said, "Considering how quickly infections are rising, the lockdown was very important. Since COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc, the lockdown in Delhi is being extended by one week till 5 am next Monday (May 3)." Last week, while announcing the lockdown—originally supposed to be in force till 5 am on April 26—Kejriwal had said that there would be no extension.
Positivity rate reached record 37% during lockdown: Kejriwal
Kejriwal said, "During the lockdown, we observed that the positivity rate reached 36-37%. We have not seen such a high rate in Delhi so far. I don't know about other regions of the world." "Today, it was fallen slightly under 30%. I'm not saying that the pandemic is about to end. We need to monitor the trend for a few more days," he added.
Delhi recorded deadliest day yesterday
On Saturday, the latest available update, Delhi recorded 24,013 new cases, marking a high daily positivity rate of 32.27%, i.e., one out of three samples tested was found positive. 357 more deaths, the highest ever in a single day, also brought the death toll to 13,898. The cumulative number of cases has now climbed to 10,04,782, which includes 93,080 active cases.
Kejriwal said lockdown imposed to prevent collapse of health system
On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a six-day lockdown in Delhi, saying that the city "might be staring at a disaster" if a lockdown was not imposed. He had said that the lockdown was imposed to prevent the health infrastructure from collapsing. Gatherings were banned. All malls, cinema halls, shopping complexes, swimming pools, restaurants, salons, gyms, and spas were shut.
Residents' welfare associations, traders' associations push for lockdown
Residents' welfare associations (RWAs) and traders' associations had demanded an extension of the lockdown on Saturday. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said in a statement that over 100 leading associations across Delhi have decided to observe a "voluntary self-lockdown" of Delhi markets from April 26 to May 2. Trade leaders feel keeping the markets open would be "suicidal," the statement said.
Top hospitals report shortage of oxygen in Delhi
Delhi's health system is being pushed to its breaking point with the high number of new infections. Several top hospitals in the city continue to send SOS messages as they face a shortage of oxygen, critical for COVID-19 patients facing a drop in their oxygen saturation. On Saturday, Kejriwal wrote to CMs of all states, asking them to direct any surplus oxygen to Delhi.
Created portal to monitor oxygen supply chain: Kejriwal
Kejriwal said on Sunday that there is a requirement for 700 metric tonnes (MT) of liquid medical oxygen. "The Centre has allotted us 490 MT. However, only 330-335 MT has reached us," he said. "We have created a portal where everyone from manufacturers to hospitals has to update the status of oxygen supply/requirement every two hours," he added.
Will hang anyone blocking oxygen supply: Delhi HC
A top official of the Jaipur Golden Hospital said 25 people died Friday night due to a shortage of medical oxygen. Similar reports emerged from other hospitals as well. The Delhi High Court has pulled up the central government over the oxygen shortage. The court had said on Saturday that if anyone obstructs oxygen supply to Delhi, "we will hang that man."
