Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday dismissed any possibility of imposing another lockdown in Delhi, saying it was not a solution to check the spread of the coronavirus that is again surging rapidly.
Jain said there was a logic behind the lockdown enforced earlier as nobody knew then how the virus propagates.
“It follows a 14-day cycle — between a person catching the infection and recovering from it. Experts said the virus will die if a lockdown is imposed for 21 days,” Jain told reporters.
“Authorities kept on extending the lockdown, but the virus did not die. I don’t think lockdown is a solution,” he said.
There is “no possibility” of imposing another lockdown in the city, Jain said.
The minister added that there were enough hospital beds available for coronavirus patients and it could be increased if the need arises.
Delhi reported over 1,500 coronavirus cases for the second day on the trot on Friday, while nine more people, highest in around two months, succumbed to the pathogen, the Health Department said.
The 1,534 new infections pushed the tally to 6,54,276, while over 6.36 lakh patients have recovered from the virus. This is the highest number of cases since December 16 when 1,547 people tested positive, according to official data.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor