Delhi logs 5,481 fresh Covid cases, to bring back weekend curfews

Delhi decided to bring back weekend curfews and reimpose some more restrictions as the number of fresh COVID-19 cases jumped to 5,481 on Tuesday, the highest number since May 16.

Addressing an online press conference, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also announced that during weekdays, government employees, barring those engaged in essential services, will be asked to work from home, while private offices will remain open with 50 percent capacity.

However, buses and metros will return to running to their full seating capacity throughout the week as the government feared that bus stops and metro stations could become super spreaders after the seating capacity had been halved and long queues were seen at such places.


"There will be a curfew on Saturdays and Sundays. People are requested to step out only when it is absolutely necessary. The weekend curfew will begin from Friday evening to Monday morning," Sisodia said in a virtual press conference.

Delhi during the day reported 5,481 fresh cases with a positivity rate of 8.37 per cent, and three more fatalities due to the viral disease, according to data shared by the city health department. The national capital had recorded 6,456 fresh COVID-19 cases and 262 fatalities on May 16, while the case positivity rate stood at 10.4 per cent.

Tuesday's positivity rate is the highest since May 17, when it stood at 8.42 per cent.

According to official data, 531 COVID-19 patients are admitted in various hospitals, including 41 who are suspected to have contracted the disease. Fourteen patients are on ventilator support, while 168 patients with moderate symptoms are on oxygen support.

A total of 308 patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and are without oxygen support.

On December 28, the DDMA declared a 'yellow alert' after the positivity rate crossed the 0.5 percent mark, and closed down cinemas and gyms.

It had directed shops of non-essential items to open on an odd-even basis and reduced the seating capacity in metro trains and buses to 50 percent. Night curfew from 11 pm to 5 pm, is already imposed in Delhi since December 27.

"Fearing that bus stops and metro stations can become super spreaders due to overcrowding, it has been decided to run buses and metro trains on full capacity. But no one can travel without a mask," he said.

There are around 11,000 active cases in Delhi. Only 350 are in hospitals. Of them 124 need oxygen, while seven are on ventilator support, Sisodia said.