The Delhi government does not want to ease restrictions in the national capital on April 20 on the grounds that the city-state is a “high-risk zone” with over 1,700 cases and 10 of its 11 revenue districts have reported multiple coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections, according to three senior officials familiar with the matter.
In a proposal sent to Delhi’s lieutenant-governor (LG) Anil Baijal’s office for approval, the government has said that while the situation may be reviewed later, it was not in favour of easing curbs at the moment, the officials cited above said. Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev is likely to issue an order Sunday to clarify what curbs will stay after April 20, this person added.
The Delhi government decided to move the proposal on Friday evening after the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) apprised the state administration of “large outbreaks” in several parts of he city, said a senior government official who asked not to be named.
On April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the national lockdown — first imposed on March 25 — will be extended till May 3, but said some of the curbs would be lifted in places outside “containment zones” and areas where the potential of the virus spreading was low, to kick-start economic activity.
“The file has not yet been returned from the L-G’s office. The document states that no relaxation in restrictions be allowed as of now. Two reasons have been cited. One is the high population density of Delhi. The second is the pace of spread of Covid-19 infection in the city,”
said a senior government official who asked not to be named.
A second official said that if no relaxations are done, it would mean that some activities that could start from April 20, as mentioned in the Union home ministry guidelines on April 15 — e-commerce deliveries, factories in industrial estates such as Narela and Bawana if proper social distancing is maintained, in-situ construction activities in state development projects, allowing self-employed service providers such as plumbers and electricians to get back to work — may not begin immediately.
The L-G, on Saturday, gave approval to the government separately to maintain ‘status quo’ in all Delhi government offices/departments. The L-G’s office did not comment on the matter. Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also did not respond to calls and text messages seeking a comment.
The L-G is the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and the government’s proposal can be objected to or dismissed by him. In that case, a fresh proposal will have to be prepared. Senior government officials said given the severity of the situation in Delhi and to prevent any further spread of the infection, it is unlikely that the proposal will be turned down.
A third official, however, said that the situation will be reviewed by the government in a few days to see if more activities can begin.
At 1,893 cases, Delhi has the second most Covid-19 infections after Maharashtra, which has 3,648. The city has 76 “containment zones”, where the restrictions are stricter, movement is barred, and home delivery of essentials is facilitated by the administration.
On Saturday, north-east Delhi, which till now was free of any “containment zones”, also came under the radar with its district magistrate Shashi Kaushal issuing three containment orders — two for different lanes in Shastri Park, and one for Gautampuri.
According to officials, all hospitals and clinics (veterinary clinics) and pharmacies will continue to function as they have through the lockdown, as will all grocery shops for essential supplies outside containment zones. Agricultural markets will continue to operate, but from the new locations where several of them have been moved in the past weeks, and will follow staggered timings.
The one service that the government has added to the list of what will be permitted from April 20 is that all state hospitals — other than the two dedicated for Covid-19 treatment (Lok Nayak and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality) — will open for general and out-patient examinations.
Schools, colleges and coaching centres will remain closed; as will all public transport including buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis, cab aggregator services, e-rickshaws and the Metro. Goods transport and all essential services that were permitted through the lockdown will continue to operate.
On Saturday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the number of new Covid-19 cases have reduced “a little bit” over the last three days, “but, we have to reduce it further”. “A lot will depend on how Delhi performs in the next few days. Yesterday (Friday), of 2,274 tests, 68 were found positive. A few days ago, Delhi was reporting as many as 180, going up to over 300, cases in a day,” he said in a digital media address.
Experts said not allowing any relaxation at this time is a good move as ideally all containment zones should have tight restrictions and complete lockdown for at least 28 days. “Delhi has a lot of congested area. At least a third of the population lives in unauthorised colonies in close proximity to each other. Now, if you relax the restrictions for the sake of the economy, the purpose would hardly be served as most people will end up being quarantined and won’t be able to work anyway,” said Jugal Kishore, head of community medicine department in Safdarjung Hospital.
