Lockdown in Delhi? Kejriwal govt plans to close markets as COVID-19 cases rise

With a massive surge in COVID-19 cases in the past few days, the Delhi government is planning to shut down markets if there's a massive violation of Covid-19 safety norms. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a press conference on November 17 that his government will send a proposal in this regard to the Centre. "Will send a proposal to the central government for permission to close markets that have potential of becoming Covid-19 hotspots," the chief minister said at the press conference.

The Kejriwal government has sent a proposal to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to roll back its decision to allow the gathering of 200 people in marriage ceremonies and restricted the number to 50 now.

Also read: Expect to reach pre-COVID level air travel by year-end or early next year, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Kejriwal said "I appeal to Delhiites with folded hands to wear masks and follow social distancing norms." He added that the Delhi govt, Centre and all agencies are making 'double efforts' to control the COVID-19 situation in the national capital.

Delhi has witnessed record high cases with each passing day in the past few weeks. With such a surge in fresh COVID-19 infections in the national capital, the Centre on November 15 announced a number of measures to tackle the virus, including making available 300 additional ICU beds, doubling the number of daily PCR tests and a house-to-house survey in the national capital.

The announcement came after an emergency meeting attended by Home Minister Amit Shah and Kejriwal. The home minister emphasised that the entire set of containment measures instituted earlier should be reviewed continuously, so that there are no gaps in implementation.

Also read: More than 1,000 new containment zones created in last 15 days as COVID-19 cases surge in Delhi