Delhi COVID crisis: Amid rise in cases, CAIT calls for 10-day lockdown in national capital

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Thursday called for a 10-day lockdown in the national capital. The body, however, demanded that the movement of essential goods, along with people involved in essential services must be allowed, without any obstruction. 

This comes after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal imposed a weekend curfew in the State. The curfew which will kick in on Friday at 10 PM and will be in effect till Monday 5 AM will function as per guidelines listed below. 

• All shopping malls, gyms, spas, auditoriums, assembly halls, entertainment parks shut
• Cinemas/Theatres/Multiplexes open with 30% capacity
• One weekly market per day to be allowed in all three Municipal Corporations
• All personnel's movement barred except - govt officials, judicial officers, all private medical personnel, pregnant women and medical patients, persons from airports/railway stations/bus stations, media. 
• People related to commercial establishments like shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits, milk, meat, fish, animal fodder, pharmaceuticals, medicines, banks, insurance offices, ATMs, telecommunications, IT services, delivery of essential goods, petrol pumps, power services, cold storage and warehouses, private security, manufacturing units of essential goods are also exempted from restrictions
• People going for vaccination are also exempted
• Marriages are allowed with a cap of 50 people, 20 for funerals

In the last 24 hours, Delhi reported 16,699 new COVID-19 cases, swelling up the total active count to 54,309 and the caseload to 7,84,137. Of the 7,84,137 cases, 7,18,176 recovered while 11,652 passed away. 

COVID tally in India

Meanwhile, with over two lakh fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours, India hit a record daily spike, pushing the active COVID-19 count to breach the 14 lakh mark and the cumulative count to 1.4 crore. As per reports, five States - Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat Haryana, West Bengal and Bihar are the worst hit in what is being called the second wave of COVID-19.