Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to observe ‘janata curfew’ on March 22, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) on Friday announced that metro services will not be available on Sunday.
The DMRC said that the step was being taken to encourage people to remain indoors and maintain social distancing in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. Similarly, the NMRC said the move was part of “preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus”.
Metro officials said that the average daily journeys saw an almost 20 lakh-23 lakh dip, with around 37 lakh journeys being recorded on Thursday. The DMRC had issued a COVID-19 advisory asking passengers to maintain a one-metre distance from others inside the coaches. The advisory also said that no passengers will be allowed to stand and travel inside the metro.
“The advisory is meant to instill self-regulation among passengers. All individuals must come together to fight the pandemic and prevent it from spreading further,” said Anuj Dayal, DMRC spokesperson.
Mr. Dayal added that apart from gradually implementing the guidelines mentioned in the advisory, announcements at stations, trains, and publicity messages on social media have also started to raise awareness on the issue.
The advisory also said that frequency of trains might vary depending on the situation and that trains might not halt at crowded stations.
