'Won't impose lockdown if…' what Delhi CM said on COVID-19
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday said that his government has no intention to impose a lockdown in the national capital. "We don't want to impose lockdown, we won't if you wear masks," Kejriwal said. Notably, this was Kejriwal's first media interaction since recovering from COVID-19. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on January 4.
Why does it matter?
- Delhi has been witnessing a record surge in COVID-19 cases.
- Delhi is the second-worst Omicron-hit region after Maharashtra, with 513 cases of the variant.
- Kejriwal also reported that Delhi recorded around 22,000 COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
- On Saturday, Delhi's daily case count crossed the 20,000-mark for the first time since May 2, 2021.
- The city's positivity rate also stood at 19.60%.
No panic, current wave has low deaths: Kejriwal
Kejriwal expressed concern over increasing cases in the city but said there is no need to panic. He underlined that both deaths and hospitalizations are lower in the current wave than in the last COVID-19 wave. During the second wave, Delhi used to register over 300 COVID-19-related deaths per day, but now the daily deaths have declined to a single-digit number, he said.
DDMA to discuss COVID-19 situation tomorrow: Kejriwal
Kejriwal further said that the Delhi Disaster Management Authority had scheduled a meeting with experts on Monday to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Notably, the DDMA is the nodal authority of the Delhi government that implements the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to curb viral spread. Reportedly, the DDMA is likely to decide on further economic and travel restrictions.
Kejriwal urges people to get vaccinated
Kejriwal also appealed to the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19. "Those who haven't gotten vaccinated, please do so. It is not like the vaccine will protect you completely from disease, but it will save you from severe symptoms," Kejriwal added.
COVID-19 situation in Delhi
Delhi recorded 20,181 fresh cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths on Saturday, up from 2,716 cases and one death on January 1. The daily positivity rate in Delhi has now jumped to 19.60%, with an active caseload of 48,178. So far, Delhi has reported a total of 15,26,979 COVID-19 cases. The death toll has reached 25,143.
