Lockdown in Delhi
The Lockdown prevailing in Delhi has been extended for a week till 31st May 2021 and if the number of cases starts to drop then the unlocking process will be initiated, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“We didn’t know how long this wave would have lasted. But within a month, the people of Delhi cooperated. Delhi has fought the virus like a family… even when there was an oxygen emergency… now there is an acute vaccine shortage. But I believe we will find a solution to this too,” he said.
The announcement comes in the backdrop of Delhi reporting 1600 new covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the positivity rate to 2.5%.
As the number of covid cases began to rise last month, state officials were forced to declare a statewide lockdown. The severity of the recent cases had crippled the entire healthcare system and claimed thousands of lives.
Due to a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medicines, families of patients ran from one place to another in search of them. Images of crematoriums overflowing with corpses into sidewalks and car parks made international headlines.
“Now the wave is weakening visibly. We haven’t won yet but we may be taking control of the wave. In 24 hours, the positivity rate is below 2.5 percent. At one point we have reported 28,000 cases daily (the positivity rate was around 35 percent). Now in 24 hours, we have reported 1,600 cases,” Kejriwal said.
“There is a possibility that the third wave will not hit if everyone is vaccinated. We are planning to vaccinate everyone as soon as possible. I am in talks with domestic and foreign companies regarding vaccines. We are ready to spend from our budget,” he added.
However, the vaccine drive for the young age group i.e. 18-44 has been put on hold in Delhi due to a severe shortage of vaccines and the CM on Saturday asked the center to cover this shortage so that the government of Delhi can restart the vaccine drive once again. As per official numbers, Delhi needs 80 lakh doses each month but received only 16 lakhs in May.
Kejriwal also suggested that all foreign vaccine should be permitted within 24 hours to be used in India.
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News Sources: NDTV, Mint, HWNEWS
Update by Ayush Ray