COVID-19: Lockdown in Delhi may be extended by a week as cases surge, claim sources

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi is expected to extend the lockdown by at least one week in the national capital and it is likely that the order to extend the lockdown would be issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Sunday (April 25).

It is to be noted that a six-day lockdown was imposed in Delhi last week and this lockdown is set to end on Monday at 5 AM. The lockdown was imposed in Delhi  after the health resources in Delhi reached a breaking point due to sudden spike in coronavirus COVID-19 cases. While announcing the lockdown, CM Kejriwal had said that the government will use this time to arrange more beds and supplies.

"If we don't impose a lockdown now, we might face a bigger calamity. The government will take full care of you. We took this tough decision taking the situation into consideration," Kejriwal had said while announcing the lockdown.

But the situation in Delhi is far from better as the national capital has reported positivity rate of 32.27 per cent. The huge number of COVID-19 cases has put pressure on the medical infrastructure of Delhi with several hospitals facing shortage of medical oxygen and ICU beds.

"There is big human tragedy coming in next few minutes in our hospital. We have already lost 25 lives. We are gasping for oxygen. We have our Doctors before you. Please save lives. Please," Jaipur Golden Hospital, where 25 patients died due to shortage of oxygen, said in its plea yesterday.

On Saturday, Delhi recorded its highest single-day rise of 357 deaths and over 24,000 new COVID-19 cases.