Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal gave his daily update on the coronavirus situation in the city on Thursday, 2 April, admitting that the city had seen a big increase in the number of cases in the last 24 hours.
Kejriwal said that till now, there are 219 cases in the city, including 108 people from the Nizamuddin congregation. There have been a total of 4 deaths due to coronavirus, including 2 people from Nizamuddin. Out of 2,346 people brought from Markaz Nizamuddin,1,810 persons have been quarantined and 536 people admitted in city hospitals.
As the tests of all 2,346 persons are being done, it is possible that the number of COVID-19 cases in the city might rise in coming days, he said.
Time for Every Responsible Government to Serve Its People, CM Says
Kejriwal gave details of the patients, saying they will recover soon, adding that data analysis has shown that the virus is not spreading among the community as of yet.
He reiterated that assistance is being provided to poor and needy people in the city, adding that this is the time when every responsible government should serve the people, along with social groups, NGOs, religious organisations who are already helping.
The Delhi CM said that on 1 April, 6 lakh people availed of the lunch that the Delhi government is giving for free, a similar number also had dinner at the shelters. He added that capacity has been amped up, and 10 lakh people can have each meal at the centres.
He also announced an incentive of Rs 5,000 each, which will be transferred into the accounts of auto, taxi, e-rickshaw, RTV and Gramin Sewa drivers and all those plying public service vehicles.
This might take between a week and 10 days to implement, the Delhi CM added.
Using the example of the US, which is expecting a huge death toll due to the infection, Kejriwal emphasised the seriousness of the situation, saying that it was imperative that people followed the lockdown and all guidelines. He ended with the hope that all citizens would pledge on the occasion of Ram Navami that no poor or needy person would go hungry due to the loss of their livelihood, because people need to come together to fight the crisis.
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