The COVID-19 situation in the Capital was “very critical” with the daily load of thousands of cases having stretched the health system and put it under “great stress”, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday.
Following a meeting with Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal to review the pandemic situation, Mr. Kejriwal announced a six-day lockdown – between 10 p.m. on Monday and 5 a.m. on April 26.
“In the six days that we are taking from you, we would arrange for a large number of beds in Delhi. The Central government is helping us too, for this, we are very thankful. We will also utilise this lockdown to arrange for oxygen and medicines. We would fight this together and surely win,” he also said.
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CM’s appeal to migrants
He also issued an appeal to migrant workers to not travel to their villages, seeking to assure them that they would be taken care of despite the curbs on daily activities.
“In the last 24 hours, approximately 23,500 new cases have come up. Prior to that, around 25,500 cases came to light. The number of beds in the Delhi hospitals is falling short. There is a shortage of oxygen as well. We are falling short of medicines, especially Remdesivir,” said Mr. Kejriwal.
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“I had a meeting with the L-G and we felt that Delhi’s healthcare system would not be able to take more patients on such a large scale. If we do not impose a lockdown now, we might face a tragedy. We do not want Delhi to face such a situation where patients are lying on the corridors or losing their life on the streets, at any cost. After reviewing the entire situation, your government feels that it is pertinent to impose a lockdown in Delhi for a few days,” he also said.
According to the government, essential service providers such as doctors, police personnel, the media and students going for exams will be allowed on the production of ID cards or admit cards. So will pregnant women, ill patients and those heading to COVID vaccination centres.
An e-pass will be required for movement by grocery shop employees, food and e-commerce delivery personnel. Religious places will be allowed to open but not allowed to have visitors.
Those heading to weddings will have to keep their invitation card handy.