Delhi Unlock Guidelines From June 1: Will Delhi Metro Open? What About Shops, Markets?
New Delhi: As the coronavirus cases steadily came down in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced that the government will begin the unlocking process in Delhi gradually from May 31. The lockdown in the National Capital will last till 5 AM on Monday. Talking about the COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the Chief Minister informed that the positivity rate in the city has come down to 1.5%. and the UT has reported only 1,100 cases in the last 24 hours.
Giving further information, the chief minister added that the construction activities and factory works will resume for a week. However, the lockdown will again be imposed if the cases rise again in the national capital. Notably, the phase-wise unlocking process in Delhi will begin after over six weeks of lockdown. “We have to maintain a balance between controlling the spread of COVID-19 and allowing economic activities,” Kejriwal said during an online press briefing.
Will Delhi Metro open? As of now, the chief minister has not mentioned anything about opening of Delhi Metro. However, the DMRC will come up with separate guidelines if the Delhi Metro will be allowed to open after June 1. Now the Unlock process will wait for the metro and other activities to begin.
How about markets and shops? As per the announcement of the chief minister, only construction activities and factory works will resume for a week. Markets and shops might not open anytime soon keeping the social distancing matter in mind. CM Kejriwal made it clear that the government will continue the unlock process every week based on the opinion of experts and the public.
The chief minister had first announced a lockdown in Delhi on April 19, after the city recorded over one lakh cases in the previous five days. Thereafter, the government kept extending the restrictions every week.
In the last 24 hours, Delhi reported a positivity rate of around 1.5 per cent and around 11,00 new cases, the chief minister said. On Thursday, Delhi recorded 117 COVID-19 fatalities, the lowest since April 15, and 1,072 cases, while the positivity rate dipped to a nearly two-month low of 1.53 per cent, according to the health bulletin.
