No plans for lockdown owing to COVID-19: Delhi health minister

Photo for representational purpose

The Delhi government has clarified that it has no plans to implement another lockdown in the national capital in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Delhi Health Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain on Monday said, "There will be no lockdown imposed in Delhi again. I don't think there is any need to enforce another phase of lockdown here."

All markets in Delhi will remain open for the entire week as was the case before the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from markets, government and private offices will also continue to function regularly following COVID-19 protocols such as washing hands regularly, wearing face masks and using hand sanitisers at regular intervals.

Earlier, traders across Delhi held an important meeting through video-conferencing where it was decided that all markets in Delhi will operate regularly as in the past before the coronavirus infection.

Tejpal Goyal of Delhi Traders' Association said, "All traders are in favour of keeping the markets open in Delhi. The overall business activity in Delhi has already been severely hit due to the ongoing coronavirus infection and the successive lockdowns since March-end this year. After tremendous hardships, labour is coming back to work. If the markets are closed again, the migrant workers would be forced to return to their native places. So we urge the whole trader community not to pay any heed to rumours about the imposition of new lockdown in Delhi."

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday night said, "The number of daily Covid-19 tests in Delhi will be increased from 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh. The Central government has assured providing the necessary arrangements for making available 750 ICU bed facility at the DRDO centre."

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