New Delhi:
On a day Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said there was a slight decrease in COVID-19 cases for the last three days, the number of such cases rose by 186 in Delhi on Saturday, taking the tally to nearly 1,900.
According to a bulletin issued by the Health Department of the city government late evening, 186 fresh cases were reported in the national capital, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 1,893. With one more death, the number of fatalities reached 43.
Earlier in the day, addressing an online media briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, Kejriwal said out of 2,274 samples, only 67 tested positive for the dreaded virus on Friday.
A few days earlier, the daily tally of infections ranged between 180 and 350 which was a cause of concern, he said.
“In the last three days, there has been a slight decrease in number of coronavirus cases. I hope it will decrease further instead of increasing in the coming days,” Kejriwal said.
April 13 saw the sharpest spike of 356 coronavirus cases in a day. It came to 51 a day later, 17 on April 15 and 62 and 63 on April 16 and 17 respectively.
The chief minister rued that people in some containment areas, which have been sealed by the authorities, do not follow rules and step out of their homes.
Highlighting a case of Jahangirpuri in north Delhi, Kejriwal said 26 members of one family tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, which has been declared as containment area.
A senior government official said 26 members of the family, including children, had tested positive on Friday and five tested positive on Saturday, taking the figure to 31. All have been sent to an isolation centre in Narela.
“It is unfortunate that people in some containment areas step out of their houses and meet neighbours,” he said.
“I have already told you (people) that it depends on you whether you will get infected by COVID-19 or not. I request you with folded hands to not step out of your houses in containment zones and strictly follow rules enforced by authorities,” Kejriwal said, as he fervently appealed to people to follow rules and not to step out of their homes.
He also said 71 containment areas have so far been identified in the national capital. The figure was updated later in the evening to 76.
The chief minister also announced the extension of his government’s Rs 1 crore ex-gratia scheme under which families of healthcare personnel currently get the amount if they lose lives while dealing with coronavirus cases.
The government has decided that other government employees who are on COVID-19 related duties such as police personnel, civil defence, principals and teachers will come under the scheme, he said.
He also said the government has provided ration to 31 lakh people who didn’t have ration cards.
On the plans post April 20, when the lockdown curbs are expected to slightly relax, the Delhi government has decided to maintain status-quo in the functioning of its departments till further orders, an official said.
Departments dealing with non-essential services will remain closed even after April 20 till further orders, the official told PTI, adding the decision was taken following assessment of the COVID-19 situation in the national capital.
“It has been decided that the Delhi government will maintain ‘status-quo’ with respect to the functioning of its departments,” the official said.
Many departments are closed during the ongoing lockdown. A few departments such as health, food and civil supplies and revenue remain open. According to an estimate, there are 70 Delhi government departments, which have around 1,500 branches.
