Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a six-day curfew on Monday prompting serpentine queues outside liquor shops and a heavy flow of outbound passengers at the Swami Vivekanand Inter-State Bus Terminus in Anand Vihar.
Kejriwal, in a webcast on Monday, said the city’s health infrastructure was bursting at the seams. “If 25,000 cases come up daily then any system can crack… I checked the app today and it showed that there are less than 100 ICU beds in Delhi. There is a shortage of oxygen as well… We are falling short of medicines, especially remdesivir,” he said.
To check the rapid spike in Covid cases, he announced a curfew from 10pm on Monday till 5am on April 26 with the usual exemptions for essential services and weddings with only up to 50 people.
“The last time when the lockdown was imposed in the entire country, we saw how a large number of migrant workers began returning to their villages. I would like to appeal to them, with my hands folded, this is a short lockdown for six days. Please do not leave Delhi. You would lose a lot of time, money, and energy in travelling. Stay in Delhi. I have full faith that this short period of lockdown would not be extended. We might not have to extend it. Trust me that if we fight this together, we would be able to overcome this. I assure you, the government will take full care of you,” he said.
The Aam Aadmi Party government, however, is yet to announce any plan to start distributing food to the poor. Migrant workers, already hit by job losses, have flocked to Anand Vihar for buses heading eastwards.
The nationwide lockdown, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had begun with an eight-day notification in March last year but was repeatedly extended with a gradual reduction in restrictions from May.
The current curfew in Delhi exempts most public servants, health workers, vendors, people accessing health services, all establishments and people related to the production, transport and sale of food. Essential services like the financial sector, telecom and broadcasting, fuel, power, manufacturing of essential commodities, journalists, diplomats, security guards, examinees and delivery services are also out of the ambit.
While e-passes are being issued for private employees under several of the above categories, they are not required if one is walking.
“Persons coming from/going to airports/railway stations/ISBTs are allowed to travel on production of valid ticket,” said a notification by chief secretary Vijay Dev.
Public transport, including taxis and autos, will ply but with a cap on the number of passengers.
“During curfew, movement of persons for marriage-related gatherings up to 50 persons (on production of soft or hard copy of marriage card) and funeral/last rites-related gatherings up to 20 persons is continued to be allowed. Any other gathering is prohibited,” the notification added.
Sports tournaments can be organised in stadiums without an audience.
The construction sector, a major employer of daily wage earners in the capital, has only been allowed to operate if workers live on-site — a practice adopted in large projects. Restaurants will remain shut but takeaway and delivery of food, not liquor, will be allowed.
On Monday, police had to be deployed outside several liquor stores to control queues that spilled onto thoroughfares where social distancing was absent.
“The decision of the Maharashtra government to allow home delivery of liquor has helped contain panic reactions to lockdown there. We urge the Delhi government to think of such steps,” the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies said in a statement.
Delhi platform ticket sale off
The Indian Railways on Monday stopped the sale of platform tickets at all major stations in the national capital like New Delhi, Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Anand Vihar Terminal hours after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a six-day curfew. Trains already in operation will continue to run.
