New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a complete lockdown in the national capital from 6 am on Monday till March 31 midnight, in the wake of the rising Coronavirus cases in Delhi. Interstate buses, trains and metro services, domestic and international flights and public transport services such as auto-rickshaws and taxis have been suspended in Delhi. He also warned the people of strict action under law against those defying or violating the orders of the official lockdown.
Addressing a joint press conference with Delhi LG Anil Baijal, CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “There is a saying in English, ‘Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures’. The virus that erupted in one part of the world, has spread to almost all the nations in the world now. We are fortunate that we got enough time to prepare in advance because we could learn from the outbreak of the virus in other nations and could take precautionary measures since the research on this new virus is still going on. We have Iran, Italy, and China as examples in front of us, which shows that we need to take immediate measures to contain the virus.”
“Delhi has 27 confirmed Coronavirus cases, out of which 6 cases are via local transmission, and 21 cases have people with travel history. There has been no community transmission of the virus. But, if we do not take stringent measures right now, the cases might surge to 1000-1500 cases in a few days. All the preventive measures, such as lockdown, will prove ineffective in containing the virus, similar to what we are witnessing in Italy right now. It will also lead to a burden on our healthcare infrastructure, and the results can prove to be fatal for all,” he added.
Highlights
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All non-essential services to be suspended, only essential services allowed to operate
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No public transport services, private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, e-rickshaws, allowed under the lockdown
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Interstate buses, trains, metro services, domestic and international flights landing in Delhi suspended
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Dairies, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps to remain open; all state borders of Delhi will remain sealed
CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that keeping in mind the safety of the people of Delhi and the entire country, they have decided that Delhi will remain in lockdown, which will start from 6 AM on Monday, and continue till March 31 midnight.
No public transport service, including private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, e-rickshaws, will be allowed under the lockdown. Only 25% of the DTC buses will operate for the convenience of the people under essential services. All shops, bazaars, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, godowns, and weekly bazaars will remain closed. The state borders will also be sealed in the wake of the lockdown, and only vehicles from other states containing essential items will be allowed to enter in Delhi.
He said, “Interstate buses, trains and metro services, along with domestic and international flights landing in Delhi will also be suspended. Construction activities in Delhi have been suspended and religious places of any denomination have been closed. I request the people to stay indoors as much as possible. One lesson that we have learned from the outbreak in other nations, is that we can only save ourselves if we maintain social distancing and avoid contact from other people. Please stay at home, and only come out for basic necessities.”
The services that have been exempted from the official lockdown are offices charged with law and order and magisterial duties, police, health infrastructure and hospitals, fire department, prisons, fair price shops, electricity offices, water departments, municipal services, offices where activities related to Delhi Legislative Assembly in the wake of the Delhi Assembly Budget session tomorrow, pay and accounts office of the government, print, and electronic media offices, bank cashier and teller offices, telecom, internet and postal service offices, e-commerce operations related to essential goods, grocery shops and food item shops such as fruits and vegetables, milk plants, general stores, home delivery, and takeaway services in the restaurants, chemists and pharmacists, petrol pumps and LPG/oil agencies, and animal fodder. Manufacturing, processing, transportation, distribution, storage, trade and commerce, and logistics related to all the mentioned services will remain operational. The government will further notify on the need to exempt any other service that may have been kept out of the purview of the government for now.
“If a person says that he/she is outside to provide or avail of any of the mentioned or essential services will be allowed and permitted on the basis of self-declaration. No identity proof will be asked from them. Gathering comprising of more than 5 people is prohibited. All the private offices/establishments will remain closed, but their employees, including permanent and contractual, will be treated as ‘on duty’ and should be paid in full,” announced the CM.
“Strict action under law will be taken against those defying or violating the orders of the official lockdown,” he added.
The lockdown orders with respect to the offices of the Government of India will be issued separately by the Government of India.
CM Kejriwal also warned the people of strict action against hoarding and black marketing of essential items. He said, “We are constantly being notified about the hoarding and black marketing of face masks and sanitizers. I want to warn people about such things. Hoarding and black marketing are not only against the law but also against humanity. We have raided around 327 spots and registered cases against 437 people till date. I know these measures are causing a hindrance to the normal lives of the people, but we will be able to contain the spread of the virus only if we take these measures now. If we are able to save even 10 lives through these measures, I think taking these measures will be worth it.”
