10,952 Cases In 10 Days - Delhi Doubles Down As Viral Load Surges

AAP govt rushes to convert hotels, banquet halls, stadiums into isolation facilities, Centre orders emergency containment steps

- Gulam Jeelani 

In the last ten days, as many as 10,952 people in Delhi have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This is nearly 44 per cent of the 25,004 cases reported in the city since the first one was detected on March 2. As on Thursday, 650 people had died of Covid-19.

This alarming rise in infections and deaths has sent officials into a tizzy. They are rushing to identify banquet halls, hotels, sports complexes and schools to accommodate the sick. A hunt is also on to find land for cremations and burials.

The AAP government has made seven days of home quarantine mandatory for all air, rail and road travellers entering Delhi to check the rapid virus spread.

While more aggressive containment and testing strategies are rolling out, home isolation is being advised for all non-serious patients to keep hospitals from getting overwhelmed.

On Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia directed all private hospitals in Delhi to reserve 20% beds for coronavirus patients. The focus behind this order was to make sure that no hospital refuses treatment, the government said.

“There are a few private hospitals which are facing difficulties in reserving 20% of their bed capacity. If they do not do it, we will have to convert them into dedicated Covid-19 hospitals,” Sisodia said.

WORST NOT OVER YET?

After Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, Delhi is affected the most in the country by the pandemic. On Thursday, the number of containment zones in the National Capital was 152, up from 64 on May 21.