Delhi To Unlock After May 31? Key Arvind Kejriwal Meet Tomorrow

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting on Friday to decide whether the city's Covid-induced lockdown can be lifted after May 31, with the national capital registering a steady drop in coronavirus cases over the last few days. The positivity rate has today dropped to 1.53% - with 1,072 fresh cases in the last 24 hours - from 36% in late April.

Unlock options will be discussed in the meeting along with Delhi's current Covid situation and the city's vaccination drive, sources said. The meeting will be attended by officials of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi's Chief Secretary and other top officials.

Speaking about lifting the national capital's Covid curbs, Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday had expressed concerns about businesses shutting down due to the ongoing lockdown.

"The lockdown cannot be extended for an unlimited period since people are suffering and businesses are shutting down. In the coming days, we will have to see how much can be opened up and how they can be opened. But if the reopening is dependent on vaccination, then we don't even know when we will be able to vaccinate all," Arvind Kejriwal had said.

Last week, Mr Kejriwal while extending the lockdown for another week had said that if Delhi's Covid cases continue to decrease in the same way the unlock process can be started from 31 May.

The capital city was put under lockdown last month as Covid cases started showing an upward trend and reached numbers that crippled the healthcare system and cost thousands of lives.

A massive shortage of oxygen, beds and drugs had families of patients running from pillar to post and images of crematoriums overflowing into the footpaths and car parks made headlines across the world.