Weekend Lockdown In Delhi; Check Full List Of New Curbs

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday decided to impose a weekend lockdown in the city in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19.

Delhi Wednesday recorded the biggest single-day jump in its Covid-19 tally with 17,282 new cases, while over 100 people died, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to call a meeting with Lt Governor Anil Baijal Thursday during which measures to curb the virus spread were taken.

"We need to do something urgently to control the spike in Covid cases. For this, we have taken a decision that there will be a weekend curfew in Delhi”, Kejriwal said in a video address shortly after a meeting.

Here’s a list of what’s allowed and what’s not:

• Only essential services will be allowed during weekends
• Gyms, malls, auditoriums will remain closed
• Cinema halls will operate at a 30% capacity
• Dine-in at restaurants will not be allowed
• Takeaway and home delivery will be allowed
• One weekly market per zone will be allowed
• Curfew passes will be issued for marriages and other permitted activities

In a virtual address, Kejriwal asserted that there is no shortage of beds in hospitals in Delhi and per the latest data 5,000 beds are available across the city.  Efforts to increase beds on a large scale will also be made, he assured.

According to the Delhi government’s dashboard, of the 15,225 beds for Covid-19 patients in Delhi, 4,816 are currently vacant. In the case of ICU beds, only 545 out of 3,771 are available. 

The government will also ensure strict enforcement of COVID appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks, Kejriwal said, noting that many people were still not following it.