New Delhi: Lockdown has been extended in Delhi for another week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said, pointing to the Covid numbers which while on decline, are yet to reach below 5 per cent positivity rate. All the current restrictions will remain in place, including the metro service which was shut last week.
"We have been witnessing good recovery following the lockdown. Coronavirus cases have been on a decline," Mr Kejriwal told reporters today.
"We don't want to lose the gain that we have made in the last few days. We are extending the lockdown for one more week. Instead of tomorrow, lockdown is extended till next Monday, 5 am in Delhi," he added.
While the positivity rate, which stood at 35 per cent in mid-April, has dropped to nearly 10 per cent, doctors say this needs to be pulled down below five per cent.
Delhi had recorded 6,430 coronavirus cases on Saturday morning over a period of 24 hours -- the lowest since April 7. There were 337 deaths in the same period. Medical experts have attributed the drop to the lockdown.
"In the last 24 hours, Delhi saw 6,000 cases. Positivity rate has dropped to 10 per cent. Gradually, Delhi is coming back on track. I hope the recovery will be better next week. Restrictions will be the same as before," the Chief Minister said today.
This would be the fifth week of the lockdown imposed on the national capital as Covid numbers skyrocketed in April, bringing the healthcare system on its knees. Hospitals had to struggle without oxygen, beds and drugs and social media was flooded with distress messages from families of patients.
The overall numbers in the country has undergone a drop as well, with a number of other states issuing restrictions.
With 3.11 lakh fresh coronavirus infections, India saw the lowest rise in daily COVID-19 cases after a gap of 25 days. The number of fatalities rose to 2,70,284 with 4,077 new deaths according to the health ministry data this morning.