Ambika Bhardwaj
Published On: January 04, 2022 at 17:13 IST
Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, declared a weekend curfew in the city on Tuesday due to a rise in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant. During a media briefing, he prompted people not to leave their house on Weekends and Holidays unless absolutely necessary.
Government employees, excluding those involved in essential public services, will be requested to work from home under the new guidance, while private offices will operate at half strength, according to Sisodia.
Over the last few days, there has been an alarming increase in everyday coronavirus cases in Delhi. The city registered 4,099 new cases on Monday, with a positivity rate of 6.46 percent. On December 27, Delhi had recorded 331 cases with a positivity rate of 0.68 percent. Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, screened positive for the illness on Tuesday morning.
Satyendar Jain, the Delhi Health Minister, stated on Monday that the Omicron variant was now the dominant paradigm of infections in the city.
He stated that the Omicron variant was responsible for 81.28 percent of coronavirus cases in Delhi in the last few days.
While experts say Omicron infections cause milder symptoms and recover more quickly than some other variants, the deputy chief minister says it is critical to take measures to protect its spread.
Sisodia also stated that buses and metros in Delhi would now be allowed to operate at full capacity, but no passengers will be permitted to travel without face masks.
He stated that the decision had been made in response to the government’s decision last month to allow only 50% occupancy, which resulted in long lines with no physical separation at bus stations and metro stations.