Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday, 16 November, said that there will be no reimposition of lockdown in the national capital, adding that the third wave of COVID-19 has passed its peak.
"There will be no reimposition of lockdown in Delhi. I don't think it will be an effective step now. Wearing of masks by everyone will be more beneficial... The third wave of COVID-19 has passed its peak in Delhi," Jain was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Saying that the shutting down of markets "has not even been considered", the health minister said that footfall will reduce now that the festive season has subsided.
“The lockdown was a learning exercise... What we learnt was that the gains from a lockdown were the same as those from wearing masks.”Satyendar Jain, as quoted by NDTV
Delhi’s COVID-19 Spike
The number of coronavirus cases in Delhi has shown a sharp upward spike in the last few days, reaching a high of 8,593 on 11 November. On Sunday, it reported just 3,235 new cases, but that was because only 21,098 tests were conducted, as compared to the more than 60,000 tests that are conducted generally in one day.
The number of fatalities have also increased in the capital.
On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting with Delhi CM Arvind Kejrwial to discuss the COVID-19 situation.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kejriwal said the Centre assured that 750 ICU beds will be made available at the DRDO center and daily testing will go up to 1 lakh.
In a series of tweets, the Amit Shah listed a 12-point action plan which has been issued by the Home Ministry to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Delhi. This includes the doubling of RT-PCR tests and deploying mobile testing vans.
He also said that to increase the availability of beds, the 10,000 bed COVID facility at Chattarpur will be strengthened further.
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