COVID-19: Lockdown in Delhi for 6 days from 10 pm tonight till next Monday morning

The national capital will remain under total lockdown starting tonight to next Monday morning in the midst of a record increase in COVID-19 cases that has acutely strained the resources and health facilities.

According to sources, all private offices will Work From Home and only government offices and essential services will be out of latch.

On Sunday, the national capital logged the biggest shoot up in its daily Covid tally with 25,462 new cases and a positivity rate of almost 30 per cent, which means almost every third sample being tested in Delhi is turning out positive.

A weekend curfew was on in Delhi in order to "break the chain of transmission" however, continuing violations in parts of the national capital indicated that more strict steps were required.

The decision was considered when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday.

In the previous order, auditoriums, restaurants, malls, gyms and spas were closed in Delhi and movie theatres are allowed only with a third of their capacity. All gatherings -- social, religious or political - were banned.

The Delhi chief minister has been saying that the increasing COVID cases have been exerting tremendous pressure on the city’s health infrastructure.

"The situation is very serious and worrisome. Cases have gone up really fast. That is why we are facing shortages even though everything seemed under control until a few days ago. But the speed at which this corona is growing, no one knows where its peak will be," Kejriwal said on Friday.

Also Read: Coronavirus: India reports highest daily spike with over 2.73 lakh COVID-19 cases, 1,619 deaths