“Public opinion is that lockdown should increase. So the lockdown is being extended for one week,” CM Arvind Kejriwal said.
With the national capital still showing a high positivity rate despite a marginal drop in the daily coronavirus figures, the ongoing lockdown in Delhi has been extended by another week. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, making the announcement Sunday afternoon, said: “Coronavirus still continues to wreak havoc in the city. Public opinion is that lockdown should increase. So the lockdown is being extended for one week”.
The Chief Minister said that there is 36 per cent to 37 per cent positivity rate, which was not there before.
On Thursday, the city had recorded 36.24 % positivity rate, its highest since the Pandemic started. While it dropped to 32.27 per cent last evening, the number of fatalities reached a record high of 357.
“While we have failed to deliver oxygen at some places, in other places we have succeeded… the situation should be under control in the coming few days,” the Chief Minister said.
Though the Centre has increased Delhi’s oxygen quota again from 480 to 490 metric tons, the access print still persists. “The requirement is 700 metric tons and what’s reaching us is 330 to 335 metric tonnes only,” Kejriwal said.
To get ahead of the curve, the Delhi government has started a portal for oxygen management. This will record the status of supplies from the manufactures to the hospitals every two hours, he said.
The Delhi CM explained that the hospitals will have to give their consumption data in the last two hours and the supplier has to tell how much was supplied in that period.
“With this, the government will know where there is going to be a shortage and it can be corrected,” he said. “This will let the government know where there is a shortfall and can be fixed accordingly,” he added.
Mr Kejriwal said that apart from central government, Delhi is trying to get help from every quarter.
“I have written a letter to all the Chief Ministers of the country yesterday. If you have any possibility of oxygen, then let us know. Negotiations have started with some states and I will tell you when any positive results will come,” Mr Kejriwal added.
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