‘Delhi will fully implement PM’s lockdown measures’: Kejriwal welcomes shutdown extension

Days after calling for an extension of the lockdown till at least April end, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday welcomed the Centre’s decision to extend the nationwide shutdown till May 3.

Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement, Kejriwal said the city will fully implement the lockdown measures.

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“Delhi will fully implement PM’s lockdown measures,” the chief minister tweeted.

On April 11, PM Modi held a video conference with the chief ministers of various states. Soon after the meeting, Arvind Kejriwal was first to hail Modi’s decision to extend the lockdown.

“The PM has taken a correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India’s position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is important to extend it,” Kejriwal had then tweeted.

At the meeting, Kejriwal had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the pan-India lockdown till April 30 to fight the pandemic.

He had said that the decision should be taken at the national level as a state-level decision might “not be much effective.”

“If the states decide the length of the lockdown on their own, then the fight against the coronavirus won’t be effective,” said the Delhi CM.

He added that even if the lockdown is eased, “the transportation should not be opened including movement by road, rail or air.”

The chief minister further told the Prime Minister that Delhi will follow the Centre on the lockdown but would need two weeks to make the national capital’s containment zones airtight after each and every contact of the Tablighi Jamaat has been verified and quarantined.

So far, Delhi has reported 1,510 COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths. Nearly 1,071 cases are related to the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Nizamuddin last month.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said that there are 47 ‘Red Zones’ in the national capital.

Earlier an area used to be declared a ‘Red Zone’ if 10 or more positive cases were found there. But now, according to the minister, if 3 cases are found in an area it will be declared a ‘Red Zone’ and contained.

The minister further said the state government hasn’t received the rapid testing kits from the Centre yet, and that there is “great need for them”.

“The Central government is about to receive the kits which have been imported. Then we will get too. We will start working with it the day we receive them,” he added.

In one of its latest measures, the Delhi government has collaborated with Google Maps to ensure easy accessibility of all food and night shelters.