Amid escalating cases of COVID-19 in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said lockdown is “not an option” but some restrictions will be put in place in the national capital which is reeling under the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The chief minister said this during an interaction with reporters after visiting the LNJP Hospital — the mainstay of Delhi’s fight against COVID-19 — to review its preparedness.
“Lockdown is not an option, however, we will be putting some restrictions in place to contain the spread of the virus. We will release the restrictions in the coming few days. COVID centres are being rebuilt and some have already started functioning,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the chief minister’s office.
Kejriwal said the administration and hospitals are working to contain the fourth wave of the pandemic in the city.
“We are currently in a comfortable position with reference to beds and ventilators. We will ensure that the people of Delhi stay safe, to the best of our abilities,” he added.
Coronavirus cases in Delhi have mounted at a very rapid rate in the last few days, and the number of deaths too have risen.
Delhi recorded 8,521 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the highest single-day surge since November 11 last year, while 39 more people died due to the coronavirus infection, taking the death toll to 11,196.
The highest single-day spike in Delhi till date — 8,593 cases — was reported on November 11 in 2020, while on November 19, the city had recorded 131 COVID-19 deaths, the highest single-day fatality count till date.
“Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital on Saturday, to review its preparation in the face of the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic that has hit Delhi. He took stock of the situation and the facilities provided to the patients in the hospital,” the statement said.
At present, 1,500 beds out of 2,000 are reserved for COVID-19 patients, and the number might be increased according to requirements in the future, Kejriwal said.
“The last few days have seen a rise in the number of corona cases in the entire country, including Delhi. We need to simultaneously spearhead an aggressive vaccination campaign and also put in place measures that can effectively contain the spread of the virus along with making the hospital management equally effective,” he said.
This is the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Delhi. The last wave was in November after which the new cases had become so few in Delhi that “health system and agencies began to lax”, he was quoted as saying in the statement.
