Maharashtra and Delhi have emerged as Covid hotspots in India. Two of the worst affected states in India, Maharashtra has reported as many as 41, 434 cases in the past 24 hours, while the national capital has reported 20, 181 new infections in the past 24 hours. The massive spike and rapid infection rate in both the states have raised an alarm amid the authorities as well as the general public.
Even though experts have flagged the third wave of Covid-19, driven by the Omicron variant, as mild, all 21 Covid ventilator beds in AIIMS trauma centre are occupied, 10 of 59 Covid ventilator beds in Gangaram Hospital are occupied, 4 of 18 Covid ventilator beds in Safdarjung Hospital are occupied and 6 of 28 Covid ventilator beds in RML Hospital are occupied as per the Delhi government’s health portal. Moreover, the doctors in Maharashtra and Delhi hospitals have now started testing positive for the virus.
Addressing the Covid-19 situation in Delhi on Sunday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who recently recovered from the virus, said that there is no need to panic, it is time to be responsible. He stated that the government does not want to enforce a lockdown right now and want to keep the curbs as limited as possible so that the common man is not affected. He further shared that the situation will be reviewed tomorrow in DDMA meeting.
As per the latest guidelines, Delhi has imposed a weekend curfew and urged all government officials, barring those engaged in essential services, to work from home. 50% workforce in private offices is also urged work from home. However, buses and metro are running at full capacity.
The Maharashtra government imposed new curbs on Friday to curb the spread of the infection. A night curfew has been imposed in the state starting January 10. Schools and colleges will remain closed till February 15. The private offices have now been urged to operate at 50% capacity. While gyms and beauty salons will remain shut, restaurants, shopping malls and auditoriums will be functioning at 50% capacity.
