CM extends Delhi lockdown by 1 week

NEW DELHI: Amid rise in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the capital city, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the existing lockdown in Delhi, which was supposed to end on May 3, will be extended by one week. Lockdown in Delhi was first imposed on April 19 for one week to curb the spread of the infection which has been on the rise in the city for the past one month. The April 19 lockdown was put in place till April 26, but was further extended by the state government till May 3.

Delhi on Friday recorded 27,047 new Covid-19 cases and 375 deaths, according to the health bulletin. The total number of active cases in Delhi stood at 99,361, and the overall Covid-19 caseload reached 1,149,333. As 25,288 patients recovered from the viral disease on Friday, cumulative recoveries stood at 1,033,825. The positivity rate in the national capital stood at 32.69 per cent while the case fatality rate stood at 1.40 per cent.

The rules under the existing lockdown, will therefore be extended till May 10 owing to which movement of essential services providers with a valid ID card will be allowed. These include medical personnel, banks employees, insurance officers, stock-related officers, telecommunications, internet services, broadcasting and people involved in the delivery of essential goods like food, pharmaceuticals. Additionally, central government officials, judicial officers, officials working in the

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court directed the Centre to supply 490 metric tonne of allocated oxygen to the national capital on Saturday itself, or face contempt.

The court took note of eight deaths in Batra Hospital due to lack of oxygen supply and told the government

offices of diplomats of other countries as well as persons holding any constitutional post are also exempted. ‘enough is enough’. “Do you mean we will shut our eyes to the people dying in Delhi,” it asked the Centre.

“We mean business. Water has gone above the head,” the court said and declined to defer its order.

The court said the government had made an allocation of oxygen to Delhi and should fulfil it.

Intra-state and inter-state movement of essential goods is not prohibited under the lockdown in Delhi.