Delhi Governor refuses to lift weekend curfew, allows private offices to reopen

Delhi Governor Anil Baijal said the Covid-19 restrictions have to stay till cases decrease, and the situation improves.

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Jan 21, 2022, 2:34 PM IST | Last Updated Jan 21, 2022, 2:34 PM IST

Anil Baijal, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, on Friday rejected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's proposal to lift the weekend curfew in the national capital and to ease the Covid-19 restrictions. Baijal said the restrictions have to stay till Covid-19 cases decrease, and the situation improves. However, Baijal allowed private offices to reopen with 50 per cent capacity.

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in his statement said, the Covid-19 cases in Delhi were at a peak on January 12, and the positivity rate was at 30 per cent. However, the cases are decreasing daily and have come to 10,500 on Friday. Understanding the current situation as the cases are reportedly low and people facing a financial problem and lose jobs due to the restrictions, the government has decided to lift the weekend curfew and odd-even system in the market. Also allows private offices to 50 per cent of their staff.

Sisodia further added, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has agreed to the proposal and sent it to LG Anil Baijal for final approval. After LG Anil Baijal approves, they will implement the same in Delhi.

Also Read: Delhi CM Kejriwal sends proposal to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to end weekend curfew, ease restrictions

The Delhi government's decision was taken days after the New Delhi Traders Association, Sadar Bazar traders, and other market associations called for a protest demanding to lift the odd-even opening of the shops in the markets. This affected the shopkeepers financially, and many employees were losing their jobs.

The weekend curfew was imposed in Delhi from January 7 and set the odd-even scheme in markets from January 1. The Covid-19 cases in Delhi have reduced over the past week, and the positivity rate has also dropped to 21.48 per cent. Overall, 12,806 positive cases were reported on Thursday.

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