Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, announced on Friday that the construction sector and factories will be able to resume operations on Monday, when a phased unlocking of the Capital will begin after a devastating surge in Covid-19 forced the city to shut down all but essential services on April 19.
The news came after the city reported 1,141 new cases from 71,853 tests, resulting in a test positive rate of less than 2% for the third day in a row. This figure has been steadily declining since it fell below 5% on May 21. The World Health Organization (WHO) deems an epidemic to be under control if the positive rate is less than 5% for two weeks.
Kejriwal said that in one month, Delhi has mostly contained the newest Covid-19 surge and that there is now no scarcity of hospitals, Intensive Care Unit beds, or medical oxygen. “As a result, we must begin the process of unlocking. We must avoid a situation in which individuals survive Covid-19 but die from poverty,” stressed the chief minister.
He stated that the current lockdown routine will be in effect until 5 a.m. Monday. “After then, the process of unlocking will begin. The decision was made today [Friday] during a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, which is overseen by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.”
In the un-lockdown process, Kejriwal, the DDMA vice-chairperson, stated that the emphasis will be the poorest economic areas. “…we will begin with labourers, particularly migratory labourers.” The majority of them work in the construction or manufacturing industries. As a result, we will begin operations in these two regions on Monday.”
According to Kejriwal, the relaxations must be gradually in order to avoid a resurgence of instances.
Experts emphasized the need to properly unlocking the city, with special consideration given to how activities prone to congestion and intimate contact may be opened up. These include the building of marketplaces and malls, restaurants, gyms, Metro rail services, and any other activity that will increase the number of people who rely on public transportation.
Kejriwal stated that additional relaxations will be made in the coming weeks after taking into consideration case statistics, expert opinion, and public reaction. He stated that if the number of cases increases, all economic activity would have to be halted once more. “As a result, I urge everyone to rigorously observe all rules and Covid-19 proper behavior. We are opposed to a lockdown. We are aware of the consequences.”
Only persons, organizations, and businesses engaged in the supply of critical products and services, such as food shops, offices of fundamental government institutions, pharmacies, and banks, are now permitted to operate.
