Delhi to Lift Weekend Curfew, Curbs on Markets Soon; Final Decision Tomorrow

Delhi Weekend Curfew: On January 21, L-G Baijal had rejected CM Kejriwal's proposal to lift the weekend curfew and curbs on operations of markets and asked the government to maintain status quo until the Covid-19 situation is completely under control.

New Delhi: As daily coronavirus cases and the positivity rate continue to dip across the national capital, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government is reportedly mulling to lift curbs such as weekend curfew and odd-even rule for markets and malls. As per the reports, the government may allow cinema halls and dine-in facilities to operate at 50 per cent capacity in the wake of dip in COVID-19 cases. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has also called a high-level meeting with Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) officials in this regard.

“There is a meeting tomorrow. Weekend curfew, odd-even and opening of all shops in the markets and malls are expected to be lifted from this week or next week but the exact dates will be discussed in the meeting by the CM and the L-G. Cinema halls and restaurants may also be allowed to function at 50 per cent capacity,” Indian Express reported quoting sources.

Earlier on Tuesday, CM Kejriwal had also said that Covid-19 restrictions imposed in the national capital will be eased as soon as possible, as the positivity rate continues to fall. Speaking on the sidelines of a Republic Day program, CM Kejriwal had said, “We don’t want livelihood of people to be affected, Covid restrictions to be eased as soon as possible.”

“Soon we will try to do away with the restrictions and bring your life back to normalcy, will make all efforts in that direction. When Covid cases rise, we are forced to impose restrictions, shut down markets, impose the odd-even rule. We understand that people face difficulties, but trust us, we only bring in restrictions that are needed”, he added.

On January 21, L-G Baijal had rejected CM Kejriwal’s proposal to lift the weekend curfew and curbs on operations of markets and asked the government to maintain status quo until the Covid-19 situation is completely under control.

For the unversed, the weekend curfew in the national capital came into force from January 7 onwards as 17,335 fresh Covid cases were reported in the city — the highest in the last eight months, with the positivity rate increasing to a sharp 17.73 per cent.

The curfew announced by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), depend on the severity of the infection rate, which is decided under the Graded Action Response Plan (GARP) — under which it is decided as to which activities would be allowed under what circumstances in case of a surge in Covid ases. There are four levels of alerts – yellow, amber, orange and red. Delhi has been under level 1 restrictions under the yellow alert since December 28, 2021.