No possibility of a lockdown in Delhi, says Jain

"The lockdown was extended again and again, but the virus did not stop. So, lockdown is not the solution," says Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain.

State health minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said that there was “no possibility” of enforcing another lockdown in the Capital and that people will have to “learn to live with” Covid-19 at a time when the city is recording a spike in daily new coronavirus infections, which are at their highest levels since mid-December.

“In order to stop the increase in the number of cases, we have increased the rate of testing with around 85,000 to 90,000 tests being conducted each day," Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said. (ANI)

“There is no possibility of another lockdown in Delhi as of now. A lockdown had been implemented once and it was thought that since the incubation period for the virus was 14 days, if all activity was stopped for 21 days, the transmission would stop. The lockdown was extended again and again, but the virus did not stop. So, lockdown is not the solution,” said Jain in a press interaction on Saturday.

Instead, he said, the city’s residents have to follow precautions to stem the spread of the viral outbreak and that “experts have been saying that one must not believe we would get rid of the virus any time soon and we have to learn to live with it”.

Experts have repeatedly called for restrictions such as curtailing “non-essential” activities and large gatherings in the city, especially with the upcoming Holi festival on March 29, along with ensuring social distancing measures are followed.

“I believe people have to exercise restraint themselves. They already know what to do, but have not been following the measures of late. During Holi, people should avoid going to others’ homes to wish them and do it over the phone instead. If they have to go somewhere, they must wear a mask and avoid hugging others or applying gulal,” said Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the department of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Jain added, “In order to stop the increase in the number of cases, we have increased the rate of testing with around 85,000 to 90,000 tests being conducted each day. This is five times more than the country’s average. Isolation and contact tracing is also being done. For every positive case, over 30 contacts are traced and asked to remain in quarantine in order to contain it as fast as possible.”

The Aam Aadmi Party leader also said that the Delhi administration has, since Monday, begun conducting random tests at railway stations and airports to prevent infections being imported in from other countries and cities.

Speaking of the state government’s preparedness, Jain said there was adequate availability of hospital beds to manage the current surge in cases.

Jain also said that vaccination levels in the city are likely to increase from April 1, when the countrywide eligibility criteria is relaxed to include all adults above the age of 45.

Currently, only those above the age of 60, and those between ages 45-59 with specific comorbid conditions can get the vaccine shots.

Experts say the city’s vaccination drive has to be scaled up to curb the spread of Covid-19. The drive has so far been slower than planned, with 31,504 jabs administered on average each day through the week.

On Saturday, 33,571 people were administered the first dose of the vaccine, and 4,163 were given their second shots.