Delhi's Covid cases ‘not low enough' to relax curbs: Health minister

This comes days after the health minister said that the Delhi government will consider easing restrictions once the daily case count starts dropping below 15,000. On Tuesday, the city logged 11,684 cases and 38 deaths due to the viral disease.

The Covid-19 positivity rate in Delhi is not low enough to relax the restrictions such as weekend curfew, health minister Satyendra Jain said on Wednesday as the daily cases in the national capital are seeing a steady dip. "The positivity rate has come down from 30 per cent to 22.5 per cent and the total number of cases in Delhi has also decreased," the health minister also said. "However, the positivity rate is not low enough that we can relax the Covid restrictions," he added.

The cases have reduced in the last five days with the Delhi health minister on Monday attributing the decline to the weekend curfew. (HT Photo)

This comes days after the health minister said that the Delhi government will consider easing restrictions once the daily case count starts dropping below 15,000. On Tuesday, the city logged 11,684 cases and 38 deaths due to the viral disease.

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दिल्ली में कोरोना केस हुए कम, पॉजिटिविटी रेट घट कर पहुंचा 22.5 प्रतिशत। 2-3 दिन के अंदर हट सकती हैं पाबंदियां, दिल्लीवासियों को मिलेगी राहत। #DelhiFightsCorona #Covid19 #Corona #Delhi

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- Delhi Government (@DelhiGovDigital) 20 Jan 2022

Tuesday's cases were 6.72 per cent lower than those of Monday's. The national capital had reported 12,527 new Covid cases and 24 deaths on Monday, and the positivity rate was 27.99 per cent.

Speaking further on the city's Covid-19 situation, Jain estimated around 13,000 Covid cases in Delhi on Wednesday. While the positivity rate is likely to come down to 24 per cent, he also informed.

Speaking on the hospitalisation amid the surge, Jain informed, "There is not much occupancy in hospitals and beds are also vacant." The Delhi government has also ramped up daily testing, he also said.

On Thursday, the national capital had reported 28,867 Covid cases, the sharpest single-day spike here since the outbreak of the pandemic. Delhi's previous biggest daily jump of 28,395 coronavirus cases was recorded on April 20 last year.

The cases have reduced in the last five days with the Delhi health minister on Monday attributing the decline to the weekend curfew.

The case tally has climbed to 17,34,181 in Delhi, while the death toll due to Covid has gone up to 25,425. The number of active cases in the city stands at 78,112.