Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is unwell and has been experiencing fever since Sunday. He would undergo a coronavirus test. All meetings of the Chief Minister from Sunday afternoon onwards have been cancelled. He has isolated himself. The Chief Minister has complained of fever and sore throat, causing concerns. He would now undergo the tests to check if he is infected with coronavirus.
This development comes after the Chief Minister said on Sunday that all hospitals in Delhi -- private and government -- would only treat Delhi residents. He said that the central government hospitals would continue to treat all patients.
Patients could submit their voter IDs, bank passbooks, Aadhaar cards, driving licence, phone and electricity bills, or ration cards among other documents issued before June 7 to prove that they are residents of Delhi.
The move came under a lot of criticism from various corners of the society. Congress leader Ajay Maken said that 33 of the 38 government hospitals are not treating coronavirus patients. Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "How can Delhi's beds be reserved for people of Delhi? How can Mumbai's beds be only for Mumbaikars? How can Kolkata's beds be only for people of Kolkata? People from all across the country come to the national capital for treatment. There shouldn't be any politics in this."
Health Minister Satyendra Jain defended the decision and said that Delhi has seen more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases daily in the past few years. He estimated that the national capital would require 17,000 beds in the next 15 days.
"So the people of Delhi need space for treatment. Besides, neighbouring states say they do not even have coronavirus cases. If they are not even saying they have virus cases then what is the issue?" he said.
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