Delhi govt wants curbs to remain after April 20

New Delhi: The Delhi government does not want to ease restrictions in the national capital on April 20 on the grounds that the city-state is a “high-risk zone” with

New Delhi: The Delhi government does not want to ease restrictions in the national capital on April 20 on the grounds that the city-state is a “high-risk zone” with over 1,700 cases and 10 of its 11 revenue districts have reported multiple coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections, according to three senior officials familiar with the matter.

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In a proposal sent to Delhi’s lieutenant-governor (LG) Anil Baijal’s office for approval, the government has said that while the situation may be reviewed later, it was not in favour of easing curbs at the moment, the officials cited above said. Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev is likely to issue an order Sunday to clarify what lockdown measures will stay April 20, this person added.

The Delhi government decided to move the proposal on Friday evening after the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) apprised the state administration of “large outbreaks” in several parts of he city, said a senior government official who asked not to be named.

On April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the national lockdown -- first imposed on March 25 --will be extended till May 3, but said that some of the curbs would be lifted in places outside “containment zones” and areas where the potential of the virus spreading was low, to kick-start economic activity.

“The file has not yet been returned from the L-G’s office. The document states that no relaxation in restrictions be allowed as of now. Two reasons have been cited. One is the high population density of Delhi. The second is the pace of spread of Covid-19 infection in the city,” said a senior government official who asked not to be named.

A second official said that if no relaxations are done, it would mean that some activities that could start from April 20, as mentioned in the Union home ministry guidelines on April 15 -- e-commerce deliveries, factories in industrial estates like such as Narela and Bawana if proper social distancing is maintained, in-situ construction activities in state development projects, allowing self-employed service providers such as plumbers and electricians to get back to work -- may not begin immediately.

The L-G, on Saturday, gave approval to the government separately to maintain ‘status quo’ in all Delhi government offices/departments. “Only those catering to Covid-19 related activities will be reporting at field, while rest would continue to work from home as is being done,” an official said, asking not to be named.

The L-G’s office did not comment on the matter. Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also did not respond to calls and text messages seeking a comment.

The L-G is the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and the government’s proposal can be objected to or dismissed by him. In that case, a fresh proposal will have to be prepared. Senior government officials said given the severity of the situation in Delhi and to prevent any further spread of the infection, it is unlikely that the proposal will be turned down.

A third official, however, said that the situation will be reviewed by the government in a few days to see if more activities can begin. “The MHA guidelines gives the states and their district magistrates the power to enforce stricter norms, if needed. Also, at the moment, several Delhi are under containment,” said the official on condition of anonymity.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which has stalled the Metro Phase-IV construction work due to the national lockdown, said it would not like to comment on the issue.

At 1,893 cases, Delhi has the second most Covid-19 infections after Maharashtra, which has 3,648. But 1,080 of the cases in Delhi are linked to a single event -- gatherings at the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Basti, which has emerged as India’s largest Covid-19 hot spot. The city has 76 “containment zones”, where the restrictions are stricter, movement is barred, and home delivery of essentials is facilitated by the administration.

On Saturday, north-east Delhi, which till now was free of any “containment zones”, also came under the radar with its district magistrate Shashi Kaushal issuing three containment orders -- two for different lanes in Shastri Park, and one for Gautampuri.

According to officials, all hospitals and clinics (veterinary clinics) and pharmacies will continue to function as they have through the lockdown, as will all grocery shops for essential supplies outside containment zones. Agricultural markets will continue to operate, but from the new locations where several of them have been moved in the past weeks, and will follow the staggered timings put in place for the lockdown.

The one service that the government has added to the list of what will be permitted from April 20 is that all state hospitals -- other than the two dedicated for Covid-19 treatment (Lok Nayak and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality) -- will open for general treatment and out-patient examinations.

Schools, colleges and coaching centres will remain closed; as will the airport for anything other than special medical and evacuation flights; and all public transport including buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis, cab aggregator services, e-rickshaws and the Metro. Goods transport and all essential services that were permitted through the lockdown will continue to operate.

On Saturday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the number of new Covid-19 cases have reduced “a little bit” over the last three days, “but, we have to reduce it further”.

“ A lot will depend on how Delhi performs in the next few days. Yesterday (Friday), of 2,274 tests, 68 were found positive. A few days ago, Delhi was reporting as many as 180, going up to over 300, cases in a day,” he said in a digital media address.

Experts said not allowing any relaxation at this time is a good move as ideally all containment zones should have tight restrictions and complete lockdown for at least 28 days from when a new case is reported in the area.

“Delhi has a lot of congested areas. At least one-third of the city’s population lives in unauthorised colonies which means they are all living in close proximity to each other. Now, if you relax the restrictions for the sake of running the economy, the purpose would hardly be served as most people will end up being under quarantine and they won’t be able to work anyway,” said Jugal Kishore, the head of community medicine department in Safdarjung Hospital.

“The Delhi government has in fact, taken a very radical move by putting even those areas under containment which have just 1 case. It is good that the administration understands that in Delhi’s scenario the rate of transmissibility is very high,” he added.