With daily COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in the city, the Delhi government is planning to intensify restrictions and reduce the number of people who can attend weddings to 50 and funerals to 20, sources said. There is also a proposal to ban all other social gatherings.
Delhi reported 8,521 fresh infections on Friday, the second highest single-day surge since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 8,593 cases were recorded on November 11 last year.
“The government is also planning to reduce the occupancy in buses and cinema halls to 50% of the total capacity. A proposal on these matters has been initiated and is under consideration,” a government official said.
Currently, 100 people can attend gatherings, including marriages, in closed spaces, and 200 people in open spaces. There are also no capacity restrictions in cinema halls and buses.
“The decision was taken after a high-level meeting, but it is yet to be approved,” the official said. The proposals will have to be approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. An order will be issued once the L-G gives his nod.
The government is yet to officially comment on the development.
Last year, the Delhi government had capped social gatherings at 50 and there were occupancy restrictions in buses and cinema halls, but those were lifted as cases gradually reduced.
Jugal Kishore, head of community medicine department at Safdarjung Hospital, said the reintroduction of stricter curbs would be a step in the right direction.
“People in general have become casual and they are not listening to doctors. We need some restrictions on mobility and gatherings.”
