Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 22
Delhi today joined the list of cities across the country to announce lockdown to check the rapid spread of Covid-19 as it prohibited inter-state travel from neighbouring districts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh with which it shares the border.
Drawing a lesson from the manner in which countries such as Italy, Iran and China, where it spread swiftly, or nations where early lockdown resulted in preventing the spread, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced lockdown from 6 am on Monday till March 31.
Flanked by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at a press conference this evening, the Chief Minister said if the city government did not take tough steps and if the numbers of affected leapt to thousands, the health infrastructure would not be able to deal with it.
The government ordered closure of public transport, including taxis, private buses, auto-rickshaws, while allowing plying of Delhi Transport Corporation buses at 25 per cent strength to cater to the requirement of those on exemption list.
Besides closure of all religious places, the government ordered shutting of private institution or enterprise, while directing payment of salary/wages for the period to employees, permanent or contractual.
Those exempt include police, fire, law and order agencies, hospitals, medical services, magisterial services, stores selling food, milk, groceries, vegetables, service providers such as electricity, water, sanitation, telecom, posts, media, home delivery services by e-commerce platforms, etc.
Restaurants will be allowed to cater to takeaway or delivery services, while construction activity will be banned during the period. The order prohibiting assembly of five or more persons will remain in force.
As for reports of black market/hoarding of masks and sanitisers, the CM said while those indulging in such activities were not only doing an illegal act but also working against humanity in this hour of grave crisis.
The city government, he said, had so far conducted 327 raids and taken action against 437 individuals.