Delhi to reimpose Covid-19 restrictions amid surge in cases? DDMA to decide on April 20

The DDMA meeting on April 20 comes as Delhi is witnessing an uptick in Covid-19 cases. During the review meeting, the DDMA will discuss reimposing the mandatory use of face masks.

New Delhi: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will hold a meeting on April 20 to discuss the current situation in wake of rising Covid-19 cases in the national capital. Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, and others will be present. 

DDMA meeting on April 20 comes as Delhi is witnessing an uptick in Covid-19 cases. During the review meeting, the DDMA will discuss reimposing the mandatory use of face masks.

"The Delhi Disaster Management Authority meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday next week under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Anil Baijal. It will discuss the prevailing Covid situation, including the recent rise in the number of cases," a senior Delhi government official said.

The DDMA may reconsider its earlier decision to lift the fine on not wearing face masks in public places as a lot of people have stopped using them despite the increase in infections. The health department of the Delhi government, in an order on April 2, had said that fines will not be imposed for not wearing face masks in public places.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor urged L-G Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to make face masks mandatory at all places, including public transport, offices, and shops and cinemas.

As per the official notice, the meeting will take place at 11 am on April 20. The ongoing vaccination programme in the national capital will also be discussed. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi government is keeping an eye on the Covid-19 situation and there is no need to panic since hospitalisations are low.

His deputy, Manish Sisodia, said the government has also issued new guidelines for schools in view of the slight rise in Covid-19 cases. There have been reports of some school children testing positive for Covid-19 in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

Doctors have said it is "not a panic situation" as the daily case count is still low, even as they cautioned against lowering guard. No fresh fatality due to COVID-19 was recorded on Thursday.

Earlier this month, the DDMA decided to withdraw the fine on not wearing face masks in public places. In February, the DDMA lifted all restrictions in the wake of the significant improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the city.

Delhi reported 325 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a marked rise from 137 cases reported on Monday. The positivity rate stood at 2.39 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year during the third wave of the pandemic. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic which was largely driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus. 

(With PTI Inputs)