Covid-19 lockdown in Delhi may be extended by a week

Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) and traders’ associations on Saturday demanded an extension of the restrictions, quoting the high number of daily cases being reported in the Capital.

The Delhi government will extend the lockdown in Delhi by at least one more week, senior government officials said on Saturday.

Vijay Chowk wears a deserted look during Covid-induced lockdown, as coronavirus cases surge in New Delhi. (PTI)

“An order to extend the lockdown will be issued on Sunday by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). The decision has been taken owing to the sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases and the high positivity rate which has led to a large number of hospital admissions and an oxygen crisis. In such a situation, if the lockdown is lifted, there could be a serious law and order situation,” said a senior government official privy to the development.

On April 19, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a six-day lockdown that is supposed to be in force in Delhi till 5am on April 26 (Monday). This is now likely to be extended by another week, officials said.

Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) and traders’ associations on Saturday demanded an extension of the restrictions, quoting the high number of daily cases being reported in the Capital.

“We have been demanding that the lockdown should be imposed for at least 14 days. Delhi is reporting at least 25,000 fresh Covid-19 cases every day even as the number of tests is coming down. There is such a crisis for oxygen, in such a situation one cannot even imagine opening up economic activities,” said Saurabh Gandhi, general secretary United Residents of Delhi (URD) — a joint forum of RWAs.

In a statement, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said more than 100 leading associations from across the city have decided to observe “voluntary self-lockdown” of Delhi markets from April 26 to May 2.

“Trade leaders of Delhi have opined that opening of markets in the city would be a suicidal step. In case the markets stay open, and if any trader or any other person gets infected with Covid-19, they will not even be able to get the required medical facilities. Over and above it will be an extra load on the government which is already fighting for restoration of proper medical facilities with the help of the Central government. So, it has been unanimously decided that it will be appropriate to continue closure of shops for one more week from Monday,” said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of CAIT.

Government records state that a high proportion of patients in Delhi currently are on supplemental oxygen and under ICU care which has led to a quantum increase in medical oxygen requirement in various Covid-related health establishments. On April 22, the DDMA even stated that in many cases, the existing contractual arrangements with suppliers have either been disturbed or the health facility’s oxygen requirement has exceeded the contractual quantity, thereby leading to “widespread disruption” in the supply chain leading to a precarious situation. “Furthermore, local supply side disruptions in the neighbouring states is leading to wide variation in day-to-day delivery of oxygen to Delhi,” it stated on April 22.

While the restrictions are not entirely a curfew, movement will be prohibited unless someone is seeking or providing essential services, medical help, or has to go to a handful of exempted workplaces, such as government offices. People in some of these categories will require an e-pass from the government, while others will need to show an identity card. The rules are almost identical to those for the weekend and night curfews imposed in Delhi.