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

The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sent a recommendation to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to terminate the weekend curfew in the national capital, eliminate the odd-even rule in marketplaces and malls, and enable private offices to call 50% of their employees. 

Under weekend lockdown, only people participating in essential services and those in an emergency situation were permitted to leave during weekend curfew hours, and only with government passes or legitimate identity cards. Except for those providing necessities such as groceries and medications, all stores were forced to close.

According to the municipal health department, Delhi registered 12,306 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, reducing the previous day's number of infections. The number of deaths has risen to 43, the most since June of last year. This month, approximately 400 individuals have died as a result of the infection. The proportion of samples examined that were positive decreased by 2.38 per cent.

The third wave of COVID has passed, according to Health Minister Satyendar Jain, but restrictions in the city will be relaxed only once the numbers decline further. "The climax has passed, but the infection has not. The number of instances grew from 50 per day to 28,000, and it is now down to 12,000, which is still a large amount. When it comes down to it, we will undoubtedly lift the limits," Jain said.

Also Read | Delhi government imposes weekend curfew amid surge in COVID cases

The Delhi government further reduced the cost of COVID-19 testing on Thursday, lowering the price of the gold-standard RT-PCR test to Rs 300 if the samples are supplied at a lab or hospital and Rs 500 if they are gathered from home. On the other hand, several private lab owners claim that at these rates, they will be unable to stay in business.

• Anil Baijal
• Satyendar Jain
• Arvind Kejriwal
• Delhi
• weekend curfew