Coronavirus Pandemic: Delhi on lockdown till March 31
As India continues to witness a steep rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, the national capital has been put under lockdown from 6 am on March 23. The lockdown in Delhi will remain in imposition till March 31, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced. While giving out the lockdown orders, the Delhi Health Department had also said people violating the prescribed norms shall face punishment. So far, a total of 391 positive cases of COVID-19 have been registered in India, while the death toll stands at 7. On Sunday, the country saw a rise of 30 cases from across various states and UTs, which included Kolkata, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
Delhi on lockdown: These services will be affected
During the lockdown in Delhi, no public transport services shall be permitted and DTC buses shall operate at not more than 25 per cent capacity to cater to personnel engaged in essential services. The restrictions include no operation of public transport including private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws.
All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, godowns, weekly bazaar, etc. shall close their operations during this period.
Dairies, milk plants, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps, ATMs, e-commerce services of essential items like food and medicines will remain open.
All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices weekly bazaars will be closed.
The order stated all motorable and non-motorable borders of Delhi with Haryana and UP will be sealed. Movement of inter-state buses trains and Delhi Metro trains will be closed.
All domestic/international flights arriving in Delhi during this period will be suspended.
Construction activities and all religious places will also be shut.
The essential services excluded from restrictions include law and order and magisterial duty, police, health, fire, prisons, fair price shops, electricity, water, municipal services, print and electronic media, teller operations including ATMs, food items, groceries, general provision stores, take-away delivery in restaurants, petrol pumps, LPG cylinder agencies, e-commerce of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
Gathering of more than five people will not be allowed and strict action will be taken if anybody violates the lockdown. People coming out of their homes for essential things will not be asked anything and they will be trusted for which they would be coming out.
Any person found violating this shall be prosecuted and punished with imprisonment or fine or both under the sections of the IPC as per the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.
Coronavirus takes a toll over Delhi
By Saturday night, the number of cases of the deadly virus in the city stood at 27. Out of the total 30 cases, five were discharged, one died earlier and one migrated out of the country.
Eleven coronavirus-positive patients are admitted at Safdarjung Hospital, six at LNJP Hospital and five at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital and one at GTB Hospital, the department said.
Meanwhile, the health department, in an order issued on Sunday said, 35,000 foreign-returned persons have been staying in Delhi since March 1.
"All district magistrates of Delhi have been directed to undertake a thorough verification exercise through their surveillance teams and ensure that all these persons remain in home quarantine for a minimum period of 14 days.
Everyone who came in contact with these persons shall also remain under home quarantine and all the cases found positive with COVID-19 infection shall mandatorily remain in the isolation facility of the hospital till being discharged by a treating doctor, the order said.
A total of 2,08,265 passengers who have returned from the coronavirus-affected countries have been screened at the Delhi airport till March 21 and placed under surveillance, Delhi Health Department authorities said.
A total of 6,626 passengers from the coronavirus-hit countries were screened on Saturday, according to the statement released by the Delhi Health Department.
It added that 10,475 passengers are under home quarantine as on March 21.
A total of 959 passengers are under quarantine at government facilities till March 22.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain had chaired a meeting on Friday with medical superintendents of 50 private hospitals in order to review their preparedness for COVID-19, the department said.
The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to seven, while the total number of cases soared to 391 as fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country on Sunday, the Union Health Ministry said.
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