Delhi Metro Trains To Run Every 15 Minutes During Weekend Lockdown

All metro trains will run with an interval of 15 minutes during the weekend curfew in the national capital, the Delhi Metro said in a tweet today. At the two sections where there is a bifurcation in the network (Noida/Vaishali section and Kirti Nagar/Inderlok section), the interval will double to 30 minutes, it said.

Delhi will shut down this weekend to "break the chain of transmission" as it tackles a steep rise in Covid cases. During the curfew, shopping malls, gyms and spas will stay shut till April 30 or further orders. The decision was taken after the city recorded the over 17,000 Covid cases on Wednesday.

According to an official order, the weekend curfew will be effective from 10 pm on April 16 (Friday) to 5 am on April 19 (Monday), even as gymnasiums, auditoriums, malls, spas, entertainment parks and assembly halls will remain closed in the national capital till April 30. Cinema halls will function with only 30 per cent capacity.

However, a decision to extend the weekend curfew will be taken after reviewing the Covid situation next week.

Last year, the Delhi Metro services were suspended on March 22, when Janata Curfew was imposed in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. During Lockdown4 - which began on May 18 - Metro services in Delhi remained suspended; the government allowed buses and cabs to run with conditions to ensure social distancing.