All private offices in Delhi, except those in the exempted category, have been ordered to remain closed and adopt work-from-home in revised guidelines issued Tuesday by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) amid a massive surge in COVID-19 cases. Private offices in the city were till now operating at 50% capacity. 

The DDMA on Monday also directed for closing of restaurants and bars in the city. However, restaurants have been allowed home delivery and take away food items.

Government offices in the city are also currently working with 50% attendance.

The DDMA meeting, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also discussed ways to strictly enforce existing restrictions to check the spread of the coronavirus and its omicron variant.

Some participants of the meeting proposed that restrictions imposed in Delhi should be extended to the National Capital Region in view of the unimpeded flow of people between the NCR cities.

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“In view of the increase in positive cases it was decided to close the restaurants and bars and to allow ‘take away’ facility only. It was also decided to allow operation of only one weekly market per day per zone,” Baijal tweeted after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting.

Officers were also advised to strictly ensure that people wear masks and adhere to social distancing norms in markets and public places to break the chain of transmission, he said in another tweet.

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As per the existing rules, restaurants were allowed operate dine-in facility at 50% of their seating capacity from 8 AM to 10 PM. Bars in the city were also permitted to open with 50 percent seating capacity from 12 noon to 10 PM.

Delhi reported over 19,166 COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Monday, with the positivity rate at 25%. On Sunday, the national capital logged 22,751 COVID cases on Sunday. 

India recorded 1,68,063 new COVID cases on Tuesday, down by 11,660 from Monday.