Delhi Covid new guidelines: Shops to open on odd-even basis, only 1 weekly market allowed

Delhi Covid Guidelines, Shop opening timings: The Delhi government on Friday further tightened the Covid guidelines allowing shops to open on odd-even basis amid skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the city. 

Shops in markets/complexes and malls dealing with non essential goods, shall be allowed to open on odd-even basis between 10 AM to 8 PM. Only one authorized weekly market (up to 50% limit of allowed vendors at normal time) per day zone shall be allowed, a notification issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said.

All District Magistrates, Municipal Corporations, shall carry out the exercise of numbering of all shops under their jurisdiction within 24 hours and shall ensure that shops or establishments are open strictly as per odd-even system, it added. 

Meanwhile, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that Delhi is expected to add 17,000 cases to its coronavirus infection tally with a positivity rate of around 17 per cent on Friday, 

He said Delhi is the first to witness a surge in infections because most of the international flights come to the capital.

"That is the reason we have implemented stricter measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 as compared to other states. Some people may say that this is not needed but it is better than repenting later," Jain told reporters.

On the World Health Organisation terming the Omicron variant of coronavirus "mild", the minister said only experts will be able to tell if it is mild or not.

The minister said authorities have devised different levels of restrictions and alerts under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) keeping in view the severity of infections caused by the Delta variant of coronavirus.

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