Kejri appeals to migrant workers not to leave city Coronavirus cases in Delhi rise to 49, Yemeni dies in hospital
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday appealed to migrant workers leaving the city to stay back and said that his government has made arrangements for stay and food. Mr Kejriwal informed that Delhi’s ministers and AAP MLAs are visiting different areas and appealing them not to go to their home towns in other states.
Urging people leaving the city to stay back, Mr Kejriwal said that people need to learn from the situations arising in other nations. He said migrating in huge groups will expose them to the risk of contracting COVID-19.
“In the border areas, night shelters have been set up to accommodate the people leaving Delhi along with food and water but they are concerned about the future and believe that the lockdown period will be long,” said the chief minister.
Mr Kejriwal announced that 568 schools across the city have been converted into food centres to supply food to the needy and also 238 night-shelters are supplying food across the city, taking the total to 800-825 centres distributing food in Delhi.
Apart from this, the government flying squads are
also supplying food packets to the people.
“The Delhi government is working hard to ensure that the people of Delhi remain safe and healthy. Our capacity for providing food to 4 lakh people across the city is ready,” he said.
Supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to implement a nationwide lockdown, Mr Kejriwal said that the decision is absolutely necessary. “If we do not abide by the lockdown, we are exposing our nation to the
risk of the Covid-19 outbreak as we have observed in other nations. Migrating in huge groups will also expose us to the risk of coronavirus. Please stay wherever you are,” said Mr Kejriwal.
From Saturday, the Delhi government has started supplying ration through 1,000 shops. “The rest of the shops will also start supplying soon. 71 lakh people will receive 7.5 kg of free ration. In the ration shops, a representative of the MLA from that constituency will be there to make sure that social distancing is practiced,” said the chief minister.
Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam hit the streets in the national capital on Saturday to urge lockdown-hit migrant workers not to leave the city. The social justice minister reached the Anand Vihar area around 12:30 pm and addressed migrant workers, labourers and daily wagers, who usually come to Delhi in search of a livelihood, with the help of a mic installed in his car.
"Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has sent me here. I appeal to you please don't leave Delhi, please return to your places," he said.
The minister said the Delhi government has made arrangements to give them shelter and free food. "You will be given free food in nearby schools. Those who don't have a place to live can stay in night shelters," he said.
With the 21-day lockdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus leaving them without work and food, thousands of migrant workers, daily wagers and labourers from different states have started walking back home as public transport remains off the roads.
According to official data, Delhi has around 15 lakh migrant daily wage workers.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Saturday climbed to 49, while a Yemeni national here has died due to the disease, authorities said. The foreign national, aged 60, died at a private hospital, a senior official said.
According to the Delhi health department, out of these 49 people, 41 are admitted at various hospitals. Five have been discharged, one had died earlier and one migrated out of the country.