Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Friday approved the Delhi government’s proposal to allow private offices to function with 50 per cent staff but suggested maintaining the status quo on lifting weekend curfew and removing odd-even rule for the opening of shops in the markets, sources said. Any decision on lifting the weekend curfew could be taken once the COVID-19 situation in Delhi improves further, they said.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a press conference that the Delhi government has proposed lifting weekend curfew, ending the odd-even system for opening of shops and allowing private offices to run with 50 per cent staff in the city.
The proposal approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been sent to Lt Governor Anil Baijal for his consent, he said. The decision to ease the restrictions was taken in view of declining number of Covid cases in the city and its effect on the livelihood and business activities, he said.
The traders in many parts of the city have demanded lifting of curbs including the opening of shops of non-essential goods on alternate days based on odd-even system. The weekend curfew imposed because of rise in Covid cases will be in place from 10 PM Friday and continue till Monday 5 AM.
Delhi on Thursday reported 12,306 fresh COVID-19 cases and 43 more fatalities due to the viral disease, while the positivity rate dipped to 21.48 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. This is the highest number of deaths reported in a day since June 10, 2021, when 44 fatalities were recorded.
As many as 396 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in the national capital so far in January. According to officials, a total of 57,290 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Wednesday, as against 57,776 a day ago, the data showed. Health Minister Satyendar Jain said it seems that Delhi has passed the peak of the third wave of COVID-19 but cautioned that the city is not out of the danger zone yet.
The minister said Delhi recently saw a record surge of over 28,000 daily cases and the positivity rate too had gone beyond 30 per cent. “That spike which Delhi saw can be considered the peak of the Covid wave and it seems that we are past the peak now… The number of daily cases has come down in the last few days.
Over 13,000 cases were recorded yesterday with a positivity rate close to 24 per cent. And today, the number of cases is lesser than that,” he said.
On Wednesday, Jain had said the positivity rate in the national capital is not low enough to lift the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of viral disease and that the government will monitor the situation for three to four days. Since last week, the minister has been saying that hospital admissions have stabilised in the national capital and the third wave has plateaued.
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