Delhi government on Sunday announced that the lockdown that is currently in place will be extended by another week till May 3. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the lockdown will be extended till 5 am on May 3. "We had imposed a 6-day lockdown in Delhi. The lockdown is being extended to next Monday till 5 am," said CM Kejriwal at a press conference.
"We have started a portal that will be updated every two hours by oxygen manufacturers, suppliers and hospitals for better management of oxygen supply. The Central and State teams are working together," said CM Kejriwal.
This announcement comes as the healthcare system of the national crumbles under the sheer pressure of the high number of coronavirus cases. Multiple hospitals in Delhi had urged the AAP government to ensure that their oxygen supply is replenished. In two separate instances -- at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and the Jaipur Golden Hospital -- 25 patients died at each of these hospitals due to shortage of oxygen. Admissions to the emergency department of the AIIMS were restricted for around an hour while leading hospitals such as Moolchand Hospital and Max Hospital took to social media to appeal to the government for oxygen supply.
CM Kejriwal had appealed to other state leaders to help the national capital with oxygen. "I am writing to all CMs requesting them to provide oxygen to Delhi, if they have spare. Though the Central government. is also helping us, the severity of corona is such that all available resources are proving inadequate," he said.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported 22,695 cases and 357 deaths on Sunday. Delhi now has a cumulative 8,97,804 cases of coronavirus and the death toll has reached 13,898.
Also read: Lockdown in Delhi: Guidelines, rules, timings, dates; what's allowed, what's not allowed