Wear masks, appeals Delhi govt as city sees ‘fourth wave’ of Covid-19 pandemic

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain that the government at present is only focusing on coronavirus, when asked about possible relaxations in the night curfew for an upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) match.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday urged people to continue wearing masks, a day after the government announced a night curfew in the city-state amid rising daily cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in what has been termed as the “fourth wave” of the Covid-19 pandemic by the Delhi government.

Health minister of Delhi, Satyendar Jain. (HT Photo/File)

“In the last three days, more than 2,000 beds have been increased in hospitals. I would like to appeal to the public to wear masks and maintain social distancing,” Jain said, according to news agency ANI. On Tuesday, the Delhi government announced a daily night curfew, with “immediate effect,” from 10pm-5am, till April 30.

what's not

District magistrates across the city received at least 30,000 applications seeking exemptions from the night curfew restrictions, officials aware of developments said.

Delhi’s Covid-19 tally increased by 5,100 cases on April 6, the highest single-day rise in 2021, and the first time since November 2020 that more than 5,000 fresh infections were detected in the city. 17 more deaths were recorded due to the viral disease, according to the health department’s bulletin. The capital’s infection tally now stands at 685,062 which includes 656,617 recovered cases, 17,332 active cases and 11,113 deaths.

On Wednesday, the Delhi high court made it mandatory to wear masks even when driving alone. The masks, the court observed, would act as ‘suraksha kavach’ and prevent the spread of the deadly disease.