Delhi chief minister CM Kejriwal claimed on Saturday the national capital reported less than 1000 daily cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for the first time since the second wave of pandemic grappled the country. “Over the last 24 hours, around 900 Covid-19 cases have been reported in Delhi,” news agency ANI quoted Kejriwal as saying.
Both new cases of Covid-19 and single-day death count in Delhi started spiralling since April 19 when the number of daily infections neared the 30,000-mark. There were 306 fatalities on April 22. On May 2, the city registered a record 407 deaths, according to official data.
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Over the last few days, the numbers have fallen significantly and the positivity rate too has been shrinking below record levels. On Friday, the city recorded 1141 new cases of Covid-19—it was the third consecutive day when the number was 1500. On Thursday, 1072 cases of the coronavirus disease and 117 related deaths
As the cases are abating, Delhi will begin the process of reopening from Monday as the government allowed construction sites and factories to resume work, Kejriwal announced on Friday. Other commercial establishments will continue to remain shut and will be open in a graded manner. He also warned that if the cases start to rise again, the unlock exercise will immediately be stopped and appealed to people not to step out unless it is necessary.
Meanwhile, the city government floated a Global Expression of Interest (EOI) for the procurement of 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on an urgent basis. In tender, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) stated that the offered vaccine must be duly approved by a competent authority of the government of India.