Delhi Govt Not Prepared to Tackle Coronavirus, Announces Complete Lockdown
At present, the Delhi government is working in a freewheeling mode while the situation is going to exacerbate in the next couple of days.
By Rakesh Raman
In order to fight coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the Delhi Government has announced complete lockdown of the national capital region from 6 a.m. on Monday (March 23) to the midnight of March 31.
According to an official announcement made a couple of hours ago, the government said all business establishments, factories, and offices shall remain closed. Also, public transport including private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, and e-rickshaws will not operate.
Only the DTC buses will operate at 25% capacity to carry people who are engaged in essential services. Delhi’s borders with the neighboring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (UP) will be sealed while domestic / international flights coming to Delhi will be suspended during this period.
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Delhi will be under lockdown from tomorrow 6 AM until 31st March. Certain exceptions have been made to ensure essential items are available for purchase and basic services continue to operate. https://t.co/SlghXpFHBM
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 22, 2020
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an extraordinary situation and calls for extraordinary measures. Sharing an important announcement towards containing the spread of the virus,” said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The announcement also said that construction activity of any kind will be suspended in Delhi and all religious places will be closed. However, some services such as banking, police, fire, food, chemists, petrol pumps will be available.
As coronavirus has assumed deadly proportions in Delhi, the government is not fully prepared to tackle the pandemic. There are hardly any test labs, quarantine facilities, or hospitals available in the city to handle the increasing number of cases.
Although Kejriwal claims that his Mohalla Clinics are popular throughout the world, he has stopped talking about these community clinics when they are needed to cure the coronavirus patients.
Since adequate tests are not taking place, the government is not in a position to count the exact number of coronavirus cases and deaths related to the disease. At present, the Delhi government is working in a freewheeling mode while the situation is going to exacerbate in the next couple of days.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications and research reports on different subjects.
