Locked Down

Delhi, many states under lockdown as Corona cases continue to spiral

- Gulam Jeelani and Milan Sharma

Begining today, the Capital will be in complete lockdown till March 31, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, as he announced unprecedented restrictions in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak in Delhi and elsewhere in the country.

Addressing an online presser, along with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, the chief minister said that no public transport services, including private buses, autos and erickshaws, will be allowed during the lockdown. Inter-state borders will be sealed too, except for the essential services. He said only 25% buses from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) fleet will be allowed to ply on the roads to carry people delivering essential services.

Essential services such as dairies, grocery shops, chemists, cashier services (including ATMs), and petrol pumps will operate normally, Kejriwal said.

“We have decided to impose a lockdown in Delhi from 6 am tomorrow (23rd March) to the midnight of March 31,” Kejriwal said, announcing stringent measures taken to stop the spread of the highly contagious Sars-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. That Capital’s borders will be closed during this period.