Random Covid-19 screening at Delhi airport from today
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority has said that passengers arriving in Delhi from states witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases may be tested randomly for infection. It said that the random testing will be conducted at the Delhi Airport, all railway stations, Inter-state Bus Terminals (ISBT) and other alighting points.
The order said that passengers who are found positive for infection will be mandatorily quarantine either at home or at a hospital for at least 10 days. The decision has been taken in view of rising Covid-19 cases in the national capital.
Earlier on Tuesday, aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told airport operators to increase surveillance at airports and levy spot fines against those not following Covid-19 protocols.
Delhi's Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that the government will increase testing to over 80,000 daily. On Tuesday, the city government issued an order for increasing 220 beds in ICU wards in private hospitals for Covid patients. There is just 25 per cent occupancy in private and government hospitals.
Delhi reported 992 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with a positivity rate of 2.70 per cent, while four more persons succumbed to the pathogen. The city had recorded 1,904 cases on Monday, the highest in around three-and-a-half months.
Delhi had recorded 1,881 fresh cases on Sunday, 1,558 on Saturday, 1,534 on Friday, 1,515 on Thursday, 1,254 on Wednesday and 1,101 on Tuesday -- the first time since December 24 that the number of cases crossed the 1,000 mark. The positivity rate was 2.77 per cent on Monday, 2.35 per cent on Sunday, 1.70 per cent on Saturday, 1.80 per cent on Friday, 1.69 per cent on Thursday, 1.52 per cent on Wednesday and 1.31 per cent on Tuesday.
Delhi's caseload stood at over 6.25 lakh on January 1 and the total fatalities were 10,557.
The number of daily cases had started to come down in February. On February 26, the month's highest daily count of 256 cases was recorded. However, daily cases started rising again in March and have been steadily increasing over the past few days. Last week, Jain had ruled out the possibility of another lockdown being imposed in Delhi, saying it was not a solution to check the spread of coronavirus.
Health experts and doctors have attributed this sudden rise in cases to people turning complacent, not following COVID-appropriate behaviour. A PTI report said that the next two-three months could be challenging, adding that the situation can be kept under control if vaccination is opened up for more people and COVID-19 protocols are strictly adhered to.
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