Crowds throng Delhi liquor shops ahead of New Year, COVID norms flouted

With stringent measures imposed by the Delhi government for the New Year’s celebrations in the backdrop of surging COVID cases, Delhites have started preparing to celebrate the event in their own way. As all restaurants, bars and clubs have been prohibited from holding celebratory parties on New Year's eve in the national capital, people in Delhi were seen queuing up outside the liquor and wine shops on Thursday.

On Dec 30, in a video that went viral, a huge crowd was seen lining up outside a liquor shop in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area. The video was uploaded by Viral Bhayani on his Instagram account. Reportedly, the incident was recorded at the Kikar wala chowk in Karol Bagh.

While some people were startled to see such a massive crowd, others called it ‘history repeating itself,’ as in the past when stringent lockdowns were announced, people were seen crowding outside the liquor shop to hoard up alcohol.

Watch the video here:

COVID & Omicron situation in Delhi

Delhi on Thursday has recorded the second-highest Omicron cases across the country. Around 263 Omicron cases have been detected in the NCR. According to health department data, Delhi recorded 1,313 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the greatest single-day increase since May 26, while the positive rate increased to 1.73 per cent. In the national territory, no new deaths have been reported. Earlier, on May 26, the national capital reported 1,491 cases, 1.93 per cent of which were positive, and 130 deaths.

On Wednesday, 923 cases were reported in the city, with a 1.29 per cent positivity rate. After a seven-month hiatus, the positivity rate finally surpassed 1%. On Tuesday, 496 cases were reported, compared to 331 on Monday. The recent increase in daily cases in Delhi coincides with an increase in Omicron cases in the city. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 25,107 people in the national capital.

Image: Instagram