Delhi was, and perhaps still is, one of the worst affected regions across the country where it comes to the COVID 19’s second wave. A wave that has wrapped around the nation a rather dangerous web of its own. If anyone anywhere was looking for an adjective of chaos, then perhaps placing Delhi against that correspondingly, would certainly help and strike sense. This is a city that in 2020, with the coming of the pandemic had silenced itself much like the rest of the country. And now, even in a year where we have seen the vaccine, not an awful lot has changed. This is when the third wave of the pandemic is yet to strike, one whose coming should hopefully see us all far better prepared than we presently are.
That being said, Delhi, which had already been in a state of lockdown has been subjected to an extension. So what this means is that the lockdown in Delhi, knowing the way things are at the moment, has been extended.
And it was none other than the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who announced the extension of the lockdown in Delhi. Interestingly, it must be duly noted that the decision has been taken even as the COVID cases in the national capital are on the decline.
But then one might ask- why has the lockdown in Delhi been extended?
The thing is, the decline rate is yet to reach below 5 per cent positivity rate. Moreover, the extension of the lockdown in Delhi simply means that the current restrictions that are already in place shall continue unchanged the way they are and have been.
No cinemas or multiplexes, no shopping arcades, malls or shopping centres are open and that will continue to remain that way for some time. Moreover, the metro services that had been shut down as of the last week, will continue to not run for another week.
Speaking to a group of reporters, here’s what CM Arvind Kejriwal said on the subject of the extension of the lockdown in the national capital:
We have been witnessing good recovery following the lockdown. Coronavirus cases have been on a decline,” Mr Kejriwal told reporters today.
“We don’t want to lose the gain that we have made in the last few days. We are extending the lockdown for one more week. Instead of tomorrow, lockdown is extended till next Monday, 5 am in Delhi!”
Moreover, it’s not too hard to note a sense of unbridled optimism in CM Kejriwal’s hopes of Delhi moving on to a better road of recovery in the coming week. Here’s what he added, “In the last 24 hours, Delhi saw 6,000 cases. Positivity rate has dropped to 10 per cent. Gradually, Delhi is coming back on track. I hope the recovery will be better next week.”
With the COVID cases climbing up north sharply during April, this extension of lockdown could well mean that this would be the fifth successive week where the country’s national capital has been in a closed state.
But on the brighter side of things, the overall COVID cases in the country have dropped, with several states issuing restrictions such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, in addition to Delhi. And as a matter of fact, after a gap of 25 days, India observed the lowest rise in COVID cases.