Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Monday said that coronavirus (Covid-19) infection peak has passed in the national Capital and that there will be no reimposition of lockdown in Delhi. He also reiterated the importance of wearing masks in preventing the spread of the disease.“There will be no reimposition of lockdown in Delhi. I don’t think it will be an effective step now, wearing of masks by everyone will be more beneficial,” Jain said, adding that the third wave of Covid-19 has passed its peak in Delhi.
Jain’s statement comes in the backdrop of the Capital being in the grip of an unprecedented wave of infections. On Sunday, Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting in which a decision to provide hundreds of more intensive care unit (ICU) beds for Covid-19 patients in Delhi was taken. Testing for the disease will be doubled and doctors from central paramilitary forces will be flown in, it was decided. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi’s lieutenant governor and top officials from Niti Aayog, Indian Council of Medical Research and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) also attended the meeting.
In another attempt to bring the situation back under control, home secretary Ajay Bhalla will on Monday chair a meeting with union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and the Delhi chief secretary to rework the containment strategy of Delhi.
On Sunday, Delhi recorded 3,235 fresh cases, the lowest since October 26 when 2,832 cases were seen, taking the infection tally to 4,85,405. The low daily infection tally may be attributed to fewer tests being conducted on Diwali.