New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday extended the lockdown in Delhi for seven more days as the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases has not come to a halt and continues to climb at an alarming rate.
The lockdown was first imposed on April 20 for six days till 0500 hrs of April 26. With the new announcement, the lockdown will remain imposed till 0500 hrs of May 3 (Monday).
Addressing a digital press conference here, Mr Kejriwal said, 'It is the desire of the people as well the government that the lockdown should be extended".
The chief minister said the positivity rate (percentage of people testing positive out of 100) was between 36 and 37 per cent. However, in last three to four days, the positivity rate has reduced a bit and was below 30 per cent on Sunday, he said.
'But this does not mean that the disease is ebbing. It may increase or decrease in the coming days,' Mr Kejriwal warned.
Over shortage of oxygen, the chief minister said, "Our daily requirement of oxygen is 700 tonne, of which 480 tonnes is supplied by the Central government. Yesterday, the Central government allotted 10 additional tonnes, increasing our share to 490. However, even this allotment is not reaching Delhi'.
He said only 330 to 335 tonnes of oxygen reached Delhi on Saturday. "As a result, we are receiving only half of
what we require, which is a huge impediment in the recovery of COVID-positive patients. We are working continuously to ensure oxygen reaches where it is required,' the chief minister stated.
For proper oxygen management, the Delhi government has begun a portal for oxygen management to record the status of oxygen supply from manufacturers to hospitals every two hours, he said. "Hospitals will have to give their consumption data in the last two hours and the supplier has to tell how much was supplied in that period".
This is to ensure that the Delhi government knows where is the shortage and where to divert the supply before time, the chief minister stated.
Mr Kejriwal thanked the Central government for the continuous support.
As per the lockdown order, people working in emergency and essential services will be allowed to move on the production of a valid I-card, pregnant women, patients, and attendants can visit hospitals, vaccination centers will remain open and people will be allowed to board flights, trains and buses.
Moreover, media persons are exempted and so are fruits, vegetable vendors, grocery stores, banks, ATMs, petrol pumps, chemist shops, manufacturing units of essentials, cold storages and restaurants offering takeaways or home delivery.
Only 50 people will be allowed to attend a marriage while 20 in the funeral, read the order. Also, all other gatherings are prohibited while all religious places will remain closed.
Delhi on Saturday recorded the highest single-day rise in its COVID-19 death toll with 357 more people succumbing to the viral disease while 24,000 fresh cases were registered. The positivity rate stood at 32.27 per cent.So far, at least 45 COVID-19 patients have lost their lives in hospitals due to an alleged shortage of life-saving oxygen supply.
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