Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to meet L-G today, likely to take call on weekend curfew extension, lockdown

CM Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant General Anil Baijal will hold a meeting with senior government officers on Monday (April 19) over the COVID-19 situation in the national capital.

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant General Anil Baijal will hold a meeting with senior government officers on Monday (April 19) over the COVID-19 situation in the national capital.

According to the reports, the Delhi government led by CM Arvind Kejriwal is planning to extend the weekend lockdown to weekdays as the national capital is witnessing a huge surge in COVID-19 cases. It is also expected that CM Arvind Kejriwal may announce further restriction once the meeting gets over. 

Given the rising COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government on Thursday (April 15) announced a weekend curfew to prevent the deadly infection from spreading further. CM Arvind Kejriwal said that the restrictions announced are necessary to curb the spread of coronavirus in Delhi. The Chief Minister also announced sweeping restrictions, including the closure of malls, gyms, spas and auditoriums, in a bid to break the chain of COVID infections in the city.

Delhi recorded the biggest jump in its daily COVID-19 tally with 25,462 fresh cases, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74 per cent; which means almost every third sample being tested in the city is turning out to be positive.

As the situation got severe, CM Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal urging them to ramp up bed capacity in central government-run hospitals and to ensure “uninterrupted” supply of medical oxygen.

“The COVID situation has become very serious in Delhi. There is a huge shortage of beds and oxygen. I request that at least 7,000 out of 10,000 beds in central government hospitals in Delhi be reserved for COVID patients and oxygen be immediately provided in Delhi,” the letter mentioned. 

Arvind Kejriwal further added by saying that Delhi is facing an “acute shortage” of oxygen for COVID-19 patients and alleged the quota of the city has been “diverted” to other states.