Lockdown extended in Delhi, if cases drop ‘unlock’ to start
Kejriwal stresses the need for caution to bring down the positivity rate
The lockdown in the national capital has been extended by another week, but Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that if the daily Covid-19 numbers continue to drop, the “unlocking” process will start from May 31 onwards.
For now, the lockdown will be in place till 5 am on May 31, and the “unlock” process will also be slow, Mr Kejriwal added, stressing the need for caution as the city struggles to bring down the positivity rate.
“We didn’t know how long this wave would have lasted. But within a month, the people of Delhi cooperated. Delhi has fought the virus like a family… even when there was an oxygen emergency… now there is an acute vaccine shortage. But I believe we will find a solution to this too,” the Chief Minister said.
“Every Sunday, we sit down and decide whether the lockdown should be
extended. The April-May wave was very dangerous, and Delhi was the first one to impose a lockdown… We have been asking people about this and most feel the shutdown should be extended for another week so that we do not lose the gains,” Mr Kejriwal said, adding: “The daily cases are still above 1,000. So we are extending it till May 31, 5 am. If cases keep decreasing like they are right now, we will start the process of unlocking next week. We will not open everything all at once. The unlocking will be gradual.”
“Now the wave is weakening visibly. We haven’t won yet, but we may be taking control… In 24 hours, the positivity rate is below 2.5 per cent. At one point we reported 28,000 cases daily (with a positivity rate around 35 per cent). Now in 24 hours we have reported 1,600
● CHIEF MINISTER says his govt’s top priority is to vaccinate the people of the city at the earliest to prevent a “third wave”, adding that he is in talks with vaccine companies for the required doses and is ready to buy the vaccines at any cost.
cases,” Mr Kejriwal said.
The Chief Minister said his government’s top priority was to vaccinate the people of the city at the earliest to prevent a “third wave”, adding that he was in talks with vaccine companies for the required doses and was ready to buy the vaccines at any cost.
The vaccination of people in the 18-44 age group was stopped in Delhi on Sunday as the city has run out of stocks.
“It will not be correct to unlock in one go. The unlock process will happen gradually by allowing certain activities from May 31,” he stated.
The Chief Minister said the Delhi government had made arrangements to vaccinate everyone in Delhi in three months but there was a shortage of vaccines in the country. “It’s being said a third wave of Covid-19 will arrive. But if everyone gets the vaccine, perhaps the third wave may not arrive,” he said.
“We are preparing to vaccinate everyone at the earliest. We are talking to the Centre and the vaccine companies. I am myself talking to vaccine companies, foreign and Indian ones, on how to vaccinate the maximum people. We are ready to spend any amount from the budget to get the vaccines for the people of Delhi,” he said.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in its order stated the ongoing lockdown scheduled to end at 5 am on Monday, May 24 will now be extended up to 5 am on May 31. In the wake of the surging second wave, lockdown was imposed in Delhi on April 19. With the fifth extension, the city will complete nearly one-and-a-half month under restrictions to break the chain of infection.