COURTESY HT NOV 19
Wedding curbs back as cases hit 500,000
131 deaths highest in a day in Capital; guest list capped at 50 for weddings after LG’s nod to Delhi govt plan
A health worker collects a swab sample from a police official at the Delhi-Noida border on Wednesday. The UP government has said those crossing into Noida from the Capital city will be randomly tested for Covid-19 due to rising number of cases in Delhi. RAJ K RAJ/HT PHOTO
Abhishek Dey and Anonna Dutt
letters@hindustantimes.com
New Delhi : Only 50 people will be allowed at weddings in Delhi, down from a cap of 200, according to an order by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) that has accepted the first of two suggestions by the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government to reinstate some curbs in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19.
Delhi has been in the grip of a third, and the deadliest yet, wave of Covid-19 infections, with latest data showing 131 more people died due to the disease -- the highest number of fatalities in a 24-hour period.
According to the Delhi government’s health bulletin, there were 7,486 new infections, taking the total number of cases to above 500,000. The caseload has already stretched thin Delhi’s hospitals, with ICU and ventilator bed availability running at the risk of being overwhelmed.
The tighter limit on weddings follows a request sent by Kejriwal on Tuesday to Union government authorities, from whom he has also sought the permission to lock down market places if they seem to be turning into infection hot spots. The request has been sent to the Union home ministry via Delhi’s lieutenant governor (LG) Anil Baijal. Officials aware of the process said they are yet to hear back from the central authorities.
“In closed spaces, the maximum of 50% of the hall capacity will be allowed, with a ceiling of 50 persons… In open spaces, keeping the size of the ground/space in view, subject to a ceiling of 50 persons,” said the order.
Kejriwal said the move should not be seen as a lockdown as such.
“For the next few days, we will observe the situation on the ground, especially violation of Covid-19 regulations and assess if any particular market can turn into a hot spot. It is not that we are shutting down markets. Saving economy is equally important for us as fighting against Covid-19. We will try all means. We will not close any market unless it is extremely necessary,” he said.
The situation has been described as alarming by officials and experts. “The situation is as bad as it was a week ago; almost every hour I get a call to arrange a bed. Even though more beds have been added, there is still a shortage, and I do not see any signs of the situation improving any time soon. Probably 10-12 days later we may see a decrease in numbers but not right now,” said Dr Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant, respiratory and critical care medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
The CM has called an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation.
It was on October 31 when Delhi, in line with recommendations from the Union government, raised the ceiling on wedding guests to 200. A little over a week later, the city added 8,593 cases – the highest it has recorded so far.
As new cases poured in, the Capital’s vacant hospital beds – particularly intensive care units (ICUs) and ventilator beds – dwindled. On November 15, the Union home minister Amit Shah held a meeting with top officials of both administrations and decided to augment the infrastructure and double the rate of testing.
According to officials aware of the preparations, orders are likely to be issued to lay down a road map of how tests will be increased from the current 60,000 odd to about 100,000-120,000. A core challenge would be to increase the proportion of RT-PCR tests that require labs.
“Currently, the city does about 57,000 tests a day, of which nearly 20,000 are done using RT-PCR method. Delhi has a capacity of 27,000 tests. This existing capacity will be utilised,” Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul said on Tuesday. “Also, laboratories under the ICMR and the health ministry will be used to add 10,000 tests. Another 1,000 will be added by scientific institutions in the city,” Paul added.
On Wednesday, the Delhi government issued fresh orders to hospitals under its control to increase the number of ICU beds.
Kejriwal said this will add around 663 beds in these institutions and, along with the 750 committed by the Union government, it will increase the number of such beds in the Capital by around 1,400.
“This will be accomplished by day after tomorrow. [Delhi] Health minister has met authorities in other hospitals. We will increase 663 ICU beds in the coming days in hospitals of Delhi government including the GTB Nagar hospital. Centre has assured us 750 additional beds in DRDO facility I am thankful to them. So around 1,400 beds will be ready,” he said while visiting the GTB Hospital.
He reiterated his assurance that while there is a spike in cases, there are enough hospital beds available. But, he added, “there is a shortage of ICU beds and we are looking into it”.
According to figures tracked by the government and updated daily, of the 3,600-odd ICU and ventilator beds, less than 450 remain available.