Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced extension of Covid-19 lockdown in the national capital till May 24. "We are extending the lockdown for one more week. Instead of tomorrow, lockdown is extended till next Monday, 5am in Delhi," Kejriwal said while speaking to reporters. "The recovery rate is going up and the positivity rate is going down. In the last 24 hours, around 6,500 new cases have been recorded in Delhi and the positivity rate has dropped to 10% -- down from 11% the previous day. We cannot let our guards down now," the Delhi CM said.
The is the fourth time that the lockdown, which was first imposed on April 19, has been extended in the national capital. It was scheduled to end at 5am on Monday. Delhi on Saturday recorded 6,430 fresh Covid-19 cases and 337 more fatalities, while the positivity rate dipped to 11.32 per cent, authorities said. The national capital had recorded 8,506 new cases on Friday.Kejriwal had also talked about starting an oxygen concentrator bank. "Essential to provide oxygen to Covid patients, on time. We have started this for such patients. 200 such banks set up in every districts. Our team will provide the concentrator at doorstep of patients in home isolation, if needed," he added. In a virtual press conference on Saturday, Kejriwal said that the lockdown has played an important role in checking the spread of Covid-19 in Delhi and asserted that people must take all necessary precautions to ensure that cases do not rise.