Delhi borders reopen tomorrow; hospital beds reserved for city residents
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that Delhi's borders will reopen from Monday (June 8). The borders had earlier been sealed for a week. While the city is opening its doors for outsiders, the hospital space in Delhi will remain reserved for locals. Delhi will also reopen restaurants, malls, religious places/places of worship, from Monday as part of the 'Unlock 1.0' plan.
Kejriwal said all precautions listed in the federal guidelines will be enforced in Delhi from Monday. As part of 'Unlock 1.0', from Monday, restaurants, malls, religious places/places of worship will reopen in Delhi with precautions. However, hotels and banquet halls will continue to remain shut. Kejriwal said, "In the recent future, we may need to use hotels and banquet halls as hospital space."
Kejriwal urged people to listen to continue following precautionary measures such as wearing face masks, washing hands frequently, and physical distancing norms. Addressing senior citizens, he said, "Consider that the lockdown has not been lifted for you." Kejriwal asked them to remain in one room at their homes and limit interactions with family members. "Most fatalities are among senior citizens," he added.
Kejriwal said the government received 7.5 lakh responses on whether Delhi's hospitals should be reserved for its citizens and over 90% suggested reserving the hospital beds until the coronavirus outbreak ends. The CM also cited a report by a five-member committee of doctors that said Delhi would require 15,000 hospital beds by the June-end. The committee also recommended reserving hospital beds, Kejriwal said.
The committee comprises Dr. Mahesh Verma, IP University Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Medical Director GTB Hospital, Dr. Arun Gupta, President of the Delhi Medical Council, Dr. RK Gupta, former President of the Delhi Medical Association, and Dr. Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director of Max Healthcare.
Kejriwal said, "Delhi government hospitals and central government hospitals each have 10,000 beds. We are reopening borders, but the Delhi government hospitals will remain reserved for the people of Delhi." Private hospitals will also be reserved. However, central government hospitals and hospitals offering specialized care (oncology, organ transplant, etc.) will be open for patients from all states/union territories across India.
