A few of the restrictions currently in place to break the chain of COVID infection are expected to be lifted following a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) here on Thursday.
The DDMA meeting, to be chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and experts, will be convened at 12.30 p.m.
Concerns remain
Sources said the continuing variation in the test positivity rate (TPR) noticed over the last week is still a matter of concern, while some relaxations in the restrictions currently in place are likely to be allowed. Apart from discussing the current restrictions, Mr. Baijal will also preside over an assessment of the current trends related to COVID-19 infections and the ongoing vaccination drive in the city.
According to government sources, the positivity ratio, which was above 13% when the Delhi government had sent a proposal to convene a meeting of the DDMA, was being seen with concern.
Rise in TPR and cases
The TPR of COVID-19 increased slightly on Wednesday to 10.59% from 10.55% on Tuesday, according to a Delhi government bulletin. It had peaked on January 14 at 30.64% and remained at that level for the next day and has been on a decline since then.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours too increased to 7,498 from 6,028 a day earlier. This is also due to an increase in the number of tests. A total of 70,804 tests were done in 24 hours, up from 57,132 on Tuesday. Twenty-nine fresh fatalities were reported, taking the death toll to 25,710, as per the bulletin.
Of the total 15,420 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, 86.14% were vacant as of Wednesday. On January 13, 28,867 fresh cases were reported in the city, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.
Last week, the government had proposed to lift the night and weekend curfews and allow city markets to open without restrictions but it was rejected by the DDMA, which had, instead, advised a review of the situation before doing so.
