Delhi may see 5,500 Covid cases today, curfew is not lockdown: Health minister Jain

The health minister further said the weekend curfew being imposed in view of rising Covid cases should not be considered a lockdown.

Delhi is expected to report as many as 5,500 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Tuesday, health minister Satyendra Jain said, adding the positivity rate is expected to touch 8.5 per cent.

On Monday, Delhi logged 4,099 new Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, while the positivity rate jumped to 6.46 per cent. (HT Photo)

He further said the weekend curfew being imposed in view of rising Covid cases should not be considered a lockdown.

Over the last two weeks, the national capital is witnessing a massive spurt in its daily Covid cases with the emergence of the Omicron variant.

On Monday, Delhi logged 4,099 new Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, while the positivity rate jumped to 6.46 per cent, according to the daily health bulletin.

The active cases in the city have gone to 10,986 and the cumulative tally of the Covid-19 cases now stands at 14,58,220. In the last 24 hours, Delhi also witnessed one Covid-related death taking the death toll to 25,100.

To curb the latest surge, the city government reimposed several restrictions, including weekend and night curfews. Earlier in the day, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said buses and metro trains will again run at full seating capacity to avoid crowding outside metro stations and at bus stops.

In the previous order, the government had reduced the passenger capacity inside buses and metros to 50 per cent, which eventually led to long queues outside stations and crowded bus stops.

The government has also mandated private offices to function with 50 per cent workforce, while all government officials except for those engaged in essential services will work from home.

Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said he has tested positive for the viral disease with mild symptoms. This came a day after he addressed a mega election rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand, where none of the people on the dais could be seen wearing a mask despite rising infections in the country.