People still ought to be cautious and wear masks, says Health Minister Satyendra Jain.
New Delhi:
Delhi will not be put under another lockdown in the wake of the third wave of COVID-19 since it has already peaked out, state Health Minister Satyendar Jain said today, dismissing all speculation.
“There is no chance of a lockdown,” Health Minister Satyendar Jain said today. “I can tell you today that the peak of Delhi’s third wave is gone,” Mr Jain said. When asked about markets being shut down, he said, “It has not even been considered. The festival is over, the crowds will get thinner now on.”
However, he said people ought to be cautious and wear masks. “The lockdown was a learning exercise…What we learnt was that the gains from a lockdown were the same as those from wearing masks.”
Delhi on Sunday recorded 3,235 new COVID-19 cases and 95 deaths due to coronavirus, state government data shows.
On Diwali, infections in the national capital dropped to almost half of the past week’s average of 7,000 daily cases as just 21,098 tests were conducted – a third of the usually 60,000 tests conducted per day in Delhi since its second wave in September.
Delhi’s daily COVID-19 chart had begun its upward climb 13 days ago. On November 3, the city reported a 24-hour surge of 6,725 cases after a few weeks of low numbers. On November 6, it crossed the 7,000 mark. A week later on November 11, it crossed the 8,000-mark, logging 8,593 cases – an all-time high for the city.
On November 5, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said a third wave of COVID-19 was sweeping through the city and the government was preparing for all contingencies.
According to a central government report, Delhi is likely to see an average of 15,000 cases a day in the winter – double the current caseload.
