COVID restrictions likely to end in DDMA’s next meeting amid low positivity rate in Delhi

A senior health official told the daily that senior doctors at dedicated COVID facilities have agreed that the COVID situation is under control and remaining restrictions can be lifted.

However, the final call is likely to be announced at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) next week.

In the past two weeks, the average number of daily cases has fallen from 4,207 to 923, and the positivity rate has dropped from about 30% in mid-January to 1.5% on Tuesday.

yesterday, Delhi 756 new COVID-19 cases registered at a positivity rate of 1.5%. At present, at least 97 per cent beds are vacant for COVID patients in the national capital. According to the daily health bulletin, the city added more recoveries (830) than new infections on Tuesday. The total active cases in the national capital rose to 3337 after the addition on Tuesday.

DDMA, headed by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, has the final say on the restrictions related to the pandemic in Delhi. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government had on January 27 and February 4 lifted some restrictions, such as lifting the weekend lockdown, reopening of schools, gyms and cinema halls.

Meanwhile, the traders’ body has written a fresh letter to the government for easing restrictions to make up for losses caused by the shutdown during the Omicron wave. Atul Bhargava, president of the New Delhi Traders Association, told the daily that the city should be allowed to remain open till at least 9.30 pm instead of the current time of 8.

Health experts have also said that there is no scientific evidence about the efficacy of these restrictions to control the spread of COVID infection, especially when the cases are already low in the city.