Delhi will be imposing a full-day weekend curfew as omicron COVID cases have spiked in India’s national capital, Deputy Chief minister Manish Sisodia announced in a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon. Here is what will be open, and what will be shut:
-All non-essential government officials will be working from home. Meanwhile, the workforce of private offices in Delhi will run at a 50% capacity, the remaining half will work from home.
-Public transport services like buses and metro will be allowed to function at full capacity, however, those who are not wearing face masks will not be allowed to board. The rule has been put in place to avoid crowding at bus stops and metro stations.
-Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia explained that essential services– including law enforcement, vendors, food and medical– will remain open in Delhi.
Delhi had earlier imposed night restrictions as the omicron variant boosted the capital’s caseload, however, the curbs will extend the curfew to daytime.
The announcement comes after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority met on Tuesday afternoon to gather consensus.
Media reports suggest that Delhi may see ‘red alert’ restrictions if the positivity rate stays above 5% for two consecutive days under the new Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). This category will enforce stricter restrictions like shutting down of non-essential services, boosted curbs on public transport, funerals and weddings.
Multiple political personalities tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday including Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP’s Manoj Tiwari and the party’s Delhi spokesperson Harish Khurana, news agency PTI reported.
Cases of the omicron variant have been rapidly rising. Delhi has reported around 11,000 positive cases in the past 8-10 days, of which around 350 patients are in hospital, only 124 patients need oxygen & 7 are on a ventilator, Sisodia said in the press conference.