Delhi Lockdown Likely to be Extended by a Week, Say Reports; Final Decision Expected Tomorrow

25 Aprial 2021 Delhi lockdown: Since the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi is rising rapidly, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government is reportedly planning to extend the lockdown by a week, said reports on Sunday. Earlier on April 19, CM Kejriwal had imposed a 6-day complete lockdown in the national capital to bring the situation under control. The total shutdown that came into effect on April 19 will remain in place till 5 AM, Monday, April 26.

“The lockdown is needed to prevent the health system from collapsing under the increasing number of patients as there is an acute shortage of medicines, beds, ICUs, and oxygen”, Kejriwal had said while announcing complete lockdown in the city.

But despite that, the situation remained in Delhi as the positivity rate stood at 32.27 per cent. The national capital recorded the highest single-day rise in its COVID-19 death toll with 357 more people succumbing to the viral disease on Saturday as well as over 24,000 fresh cases. With the fresh cases, the cumulative COVID-19 tally of Delhi climbed to over 10 lakh and the death toll due to the viral disease stands at 13,898.

“Situation Gone From Bad to Worse”

“The idea behind the brief lockdown was that it will control the cases and give time to boost the health infrastructure, but the situation has gone from bad to worse. In such a situation, extending the lockdown, by maybe another week, is a possible option,” PTI quoted a source in the Delhi government as saying.

Demand to Extend Lockdown Grows Louder

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by a community social media platform LocalCircles also claimed that the majority of Delhiites want an extension of COVID-19 lockdown by at least one more week. A total of 48 per cent of respondents asked the Kejriwal government to extend the shutdown by two more weeks, while 68 per cent of the respondents demanded an extension of lockdown by at least a week.

Besides, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has also urged the Delhi government to further extend the lockdown beyond April 26 to bring the pandemic under control. In a letter to CM Kejriwal, CAIT said going by the current statistics, the situation is quite alarming in Delhi.