Centre’s representatives assured Delhi govt that Covid curbs will be imposed across NCR, says Kejriwal

The Centre’s representatives have assured the Delhi government that Covid-related curbs imposed in the capital will be replicated across the NCR, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, noting that it is difficult to predict when the third wave of infections will peak.

He said the government had to impose restrictions out of compulsion and reiterated that a complete lockdown will not be implemented. The chief minister also said Delhi is likely to record around 20,000 Covid cases on Tuesday.

“At a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, we told the representatives of the Centre that the restrictions should be implemented in the entire NCR and not just in Delhi. They have assured us that restrictions implemented in Delhi will be replicated in the region,” Kejriwal told reporters at the Lok Nayak Hospital.

It cannot be predicted when the third wave will peak. The number of daily cases has been oscillating between 20,000 and 22,000 for three days with a positivity rate of 24 per cent to 25 per cent, but “it doesn’t mean that cases won’t increase,” he said in response to a question.

Delhi on Monday logged 17 deaths due to COVID-19 and 19,166 infections in a day as the positivity rate rose to 25 per cent, the highest since May 4 last year, according to official figures. As of Monday, the city had 65,803 active cases. Of these, 44,028 are in home isolation, the data showed.