Delhi imposes weekend curfew to contain COVID spread; Metro, buses to run at 100% capacity

In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced the imposition of a weekend curfew in the national capital. This decision was taken in the meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority held on Tuesday. While maintaining that most novel coronavirus patients infected with the Omicron variant had mild or no symptoms, he stressed the need to bring the number of cases under control. 

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia remarked, "Most importantly, there will be a curfew on Saturday and Sunday, i.e weekends. We appeal to the people that they should not leave their homes during curfew. They should step out in case of essential purposes such as hospitals. Follow the curfew on Saturday and Sunday, stay at home and work from home. Apart from government offices rendering essential services, everyone will be barred from attending the office and only work from home will be allowed."

Additionally, private offices will be allowed to function with 50% strength. Amid the woes faced by commuters on a daily basis, the Delhi metro and local buses can now operate at 100% seating capacity with the caveat that every passenger must wear a mask. These decisions come on a day when Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

Fresh curbs in Delhi owing to Omicron scare

At present, there are 1,45,582 active coronavirus cases in India whereas 3,42,95,407 patients have recovered and 4,81,893 deaths have been reported. On January 3, Delhi witnessed a further rise in cases with 4099 persons testing positive for the novel coronavirus. The deterioration in India's COVID-19 situation has been attributed to the spread of the Omicron variant. First detected in South Africa from a sample collected on November 9, the B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19 was designated as a 'Variant of Concern' by the World Health Organization on November 26.

On weekdays, Delhi has mandated that shops in markets will be allowed to open between 10 am and 8 pm on an odd-even basis. While restaurants and bars are permitted to function from 8 am- 10 pm with 50% seating capacity, hotels are not allowed to host conferences. Furthermore, multiplexes, theatres, banquet halls, auditoriums, spas, gymnasiums, entertainment parks and Yoga centres have been asked to remain closed. Meanwhile, all types of gatherings are banned with marriage functions and funerals restricted to 20 persons each. There is also a curb on the movement of persons between 10 pm and 5 am.