Amit Shah takes stock of Covid- 19 situation in Delhi
3,235 fresh cases were reported in national capital yesterday
Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday took stock of Delhi’s Covid- 19 situation in the wake of recent spike in cases in the national capital, officials said.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and senior officers of the central government attended the meeting chaired by Shah.
The home minister reviewed the situation arising due to the spike in Covid- 19 cases in Delhi and discussed ways to dealwith it, a homeministry official said.
Delhi recorded 3,235 fresh Covid- 19 cases, taking the infection tally to over 400,850 yesterday, while 95 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 7,614.
The meeting was convened to devise a strategy to contain the spread of the virus in Delhi, especially in view of the festive season and decreasing temperatures accompanied by rising pollution, the official said.
On November 2, a meeting convened by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla had attributed the third surge in coronavirus cases in Delhi to festivals and a greater movement of people, accompanied by laxity in adhering to the basic principles of Covid- appropriate behaviour. However, Kejriwal last week blamed pollution for the spike in the cases.
The meeting chaired by Bhalla had resolved that efforts would bemade for testing, contact- tracing and treatment, especially in the critical zones.
It also emphasised that travel by metro should be carefully regulated, in accordance with the standard operating procedures ( SOPs).
Focus on testing
While the numbers of fresh Covid cases and active cases are going up, the administration is focusing on testing, contact tracing and treatment. The fresh cases yesterday in Delhi were detected from21,098 tests conducted the previous day. The positivity rate increased to 15.33 per cent, according to a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
The national capital had recorded its highest single- day spike of 8,593 cases on Wednesday. On Thursday, 104 fatalities, the highest in a day in over five months, were recorded.