129 deaths, 438 new cases take tally to 9,333
The coronavirus death toll in the city has increased to 129, even as the total number of Covid-19 cases reported in the national capital climbed to 9,333 on Saturday. The Delhi government, meanwhile, has directed its officials to ensure that migrant workers do not walk on the roads and railway tracks and to coordinate with Railways to facilitate faster movement to their native places.
In a bulletin issued on Saturday, the Delhi health department said, with six more fatalities reported, the death toll from coronavirus infection has risen to 129. It, however, said the cumulative death figures refer to fatalities where the primary cause of death was found to be Covid-19, as per the report of the Death Audit Committee on the basis of case sheets received from various hospitals.
On Friday, the total number of cases stood at 8,895, including 123 deaths. With 438 fresh cases, the total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi has mounted to 9,333. The city had recorded 472 fresh cases, the highest single-day spike, on Thursday.
According to the Delhi health department bulletin, out of the total 9,333 cases recorded so far, at least 1,758 are admitted at various hospitals like LNJP Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) and AIIMS Jhajjhar, adding 155 of them are in ICU and 26 on ventilators.
In an order, Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev directed nodal officer P.K. Gupta and other senior officers to ensure “the migrant workers do not resort to walking on the road and on railway tracks.” The order directed the officials that migrant workers found walking on the roads or railway tracks should be taken to nearest shelter facilities, provided food and water, till the time they are sent to their homes through Shramik trains and buses.
“There should be proper cooperation with the railways in running more number of Shramik special trains so that travel of stranded migrant workers is facilitated at a faster rate,” stated the order.
“All Shramik trains should be received without any hindrance and facilitate faster movement of stranded migrant workers to their native places,” it said. A large number of migrant workers from major urban industrial centres in the country have been moving with their families towards their home states, often walking and also in cramped trucks and other vehicles, during nearly two-month long lockdown due to Covid-19.