Delhi Metro closes entry gates of six stations to avoid crowding

All three stations are on the Red Line that runs from Rithala to Shaheed Sthal (Ghaziabad ISBT).

Entry gates were temporarily closed at six Metro stations in Delhi to ensure the social distancing is being followed by the commuters, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said in a series of tweets on Friday. The gates were closed during the rush hour in the morning at Jhilmil, Seelmpur, Sahstri Park, Mohan Nagar, Dilshad Garden and Shahdara Metro stations. The entry gates have been opened now at all six stations, DMRC announced in separate tweets. All six stations are on the Red Line that runs from Rithala to Shaheed Sthal (Ghaziabad ISBT).

The exit gates at Rajiv Chowk and Patel Chowk metro station have also opened after they were closed for a brief period (PTI)

The temporary closure of the entry comes as Delhi is in the grips of the fourth wave of Covid-19. The Delhi government in March designated Metro stations as "super spreader areas" and also asked authorities to increase surveillance in these areas to check the spread and ensure Covid-19 norms are being followed.

The national capital has become the most affected city by the Covid-19 in the country as it overtook Mumbai in terms of daily cases of the coronavirus disease. The city logged 17,282 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, in the highest single-day surge since the pandemic began in the city.

Amid the record surge in Covid-19 infections, the Delhi government on Thursday imposed a 'weekend curfew'--from10pm on Friday to 5am on Monday--on the movement of individuals till April 30 or further orders.