The decision came as the National Capital has been struggling with a spike in coronavirus cases; on Monday, it recorded over 4,000 cases
A health worker performs coronavirus screening of people queued outside a metro station in New Delhi. AFP
The rise in COVID-19 cases has prompted Delhi authorities to impose a weekend curfew from Friday 10 pm to Monday 5 am in the city.
Additional restrictions have also been imposed as the national capital recorded a whopping 4,099 fresh COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate spiralled to 6.46 percent on Monday.
Talking of the surge, Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said, “The Omicron variant of coronavirus is behind the surge in infections in the city and more restrictions will be implemented if the bed occupancy rate goes up.”
Delhi curbs
>> A weekend curfew in the city; no non-essential movement will be allowed during the weekend curfew
>> All government employees, barring essential services, will ‘work from home’
>> Private offices will function at 50 percent capacity
>> The seating cap in buses and metro will be increased to 100 per cent to avoid crowding at stops and stations. However, there will be no entry without masks
Incidentally, the curbs came into place on the same day that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that he was isolating at home after testing positive for coronavirus .
In a tweet, he announced his COVID diagnosis and said that he was experiencing mild symptoms.
Curfews in other states
The Punjab government on Tuesday ordered closure of schools and colleges and imposition of a night curfew to restrict public movement following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the state over the past few days.
Announcing the new restrictions, OP Soni, Punjab health minister said that the third wave had arrived and face masks should be mandatory for everyone.
According to the order, movement of individuals for all the non-essential activities shall remain prohibited between 10 pm to 5 am within municipal limits of all the cities and towns of Punjab.
All educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and coaching institutions, shall remain closed, it further said.
Bars, cinema halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums, and zoos shall be allowed to operate at 50 percent of their capacity subject to all staff present being fully vaccinated, the order read. Sports complexes, stadia, swimming pools, and gyms (except those being used for training of sportspersons for participation in national or international events) shall remain closed , it said, adding no spectators or visitors will be allowed there.
Only fully vaccinated staff will be allowed to attend government and private offices, working spaces, factories, and industries, it said.
Air conditioned buses will run at 50 percent capacity, according to the order.
Punjab has been witnessing a rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases over the last few days. It has so far recorded 6,05,922 cases with 16,651 deaths.
Goa has also imposed a night curfew and ordered shutdown of schools and colleges as COVID spiked in the coastal state.
The curfew would last from 11 pm to 6 am and colleges as well as classes eight and nine in schools would remain shut till 26 January.
With inputs from agencies
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