Delhi Reports Over 20K COVID Cases in a Day; No Lockdown To Be Imposed: Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal said that most of the patients are witnessing mild symptoms as compared with the Delta variant.

File photo of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

(Photo: Video screengrab)

Delhi reported 21,259 new cases and 23 deaths on Tuesday, 11 January, raising the positivity rate to 25.65%. The active cases in the capital currently stand at 74,881.

Earlier during the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the government will not impose a lockdown in the capital city in spite of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Kejriwal had said that Delhi is expecting about 20,000 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and added that most of the patients are witnessing mild symptoms as compared to those infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The chief minister had also visited top hospitals in the city to assess COVID-19 facilities.

"We are expecting somewhere around 20,000-22,000 new COVID-19 cases in Delhi. The positivity rate has been around 24-25 percent for the past two days. We are enforcing strict restrictions like night curfew in Delhi out of compulsion."

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister

All Private Offices, Restaurants To Shut: DDMA

The announcement comes on the same day as the DDMA’s (Delhi Disaster Management Authority) order recognising that New Delhi is “threatened with the spread of COVID-19 Virus” and ordered all private offices in Delhi, except those that fall under the Exempted Category, to be shut.

Restaurant and bars will also be closed. However, home delivery and takeaways will be allowed, as per the order.

Online Yoga Initiative for COVID Patients

The chief minister also launched a new initiative called “Delhi ki Yogshaala” for COVID-19 patients currently in home isolation. Kejriwal said that the Delhi government will pave the way for online classes, which will start from Wednesday. Online classes will be conducted for up to 40,000 patients in home isolation.

He said that the one-of-a-kind programme is a first for COVID-19 patients in the world. He said, "No one in the whole world is doing such a program for corona-infected home isolation patients."

There will be a total of eight classes each day with 15 people in each class. Students will be able to interact with their instructors, said Kejriwal.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said on Monday that the peak of the third wave has already arrived in Delhi, and if not, it will peak in the next two days, as per the NDTV report.

The third wave is expected to subside by the next week, according to the health minister.

(With inputs from NDTV.)