Weekend curfew helping reduce Covid caseload, no lockdown in Delhi: Jain

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that the Covid-19 has been consisting on a decline over the last few days and this was an indication that the weekend curfew imposed by the government was working.

“The weekend curfew is proving to be beneficial, as fewer and fewer people are venturing outside, limiting the spread of coronavirus. The number of reported cases is decreasing, but the government is keeping an eye on the trend,” Jain said on Monday.

The minister said, “The cases in Delhi have been declining for the past four days. On January 14, Delhi recorded 24,383 cases, while on January 15, Delhi recorded 20,178 new cases, and on January 16, Delhi logged 18,286 cases. Weekend curfews have played a significant role in this decline.”

Jain also said that Delhi was focusing on vaccinating maximum people.

Delhi over the last year has administered over 28 million vaccine doses. Out of all eligible people, 100% have received their first dose and around 80% have received their second dose. The government has also administered 127,000 precautionary doses.

“The vaccination process is running smoothly in Delhi, and the Delhi government has an adequate supply of vaccines. No prescription is required to get yourself tested if you have any symptoms. The health system in Delhi is in a good shape and we are fully prepared to deal with even the most serious of situations,” he said.

Jain also hit back at his Haryana counterpart Anil Vij, who on Sunday claimed that three Haryana districts situated close to Delhi were behind the surge in Covid cases in the state.

“This is a political gimmick. Delhi everyday reports over 1000 cases of patients who are not local residents. This is the time to focus on managing Covid and its spread and not point fingers at each other,” he said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also rubbished the allegations levelled by Vij, and said they do not deserve a response. “Blaming each other won’t kill the virus. I won’t get involved in this mess. The virus is there all across the country. It’s there in Haryana as well as in Delhi and other states. We should just work towards eradicating the pandemic. Blaming each other is not going to help,” he told reporters on Monday.

On Sunday, Vij said Haryana was “adversely affected” due to its vicinity to Delhi, and claimed that “more than half” of the around 9,000 new Covid-19 cases in Haryana were coming from Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonepat districts.

“Haryana reports around 9,000 Covid-19 cases every day, of which over 50% are from Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonepat. Delhi’s infection rate is having an impact on the state,” Vij said.