Delhi Govt Announces Lockdown Exit Plan; Red Zones Granted Relaxations

Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister said that the Center's decision of lockdown on 24th March was very important but "We will not be able to sustain the lockdown for long as the economy is in peril. "

Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday evening announced that the national capital is ready to uplift the lockdown. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister said that the Center's decision of lockdown on 24th March was very important as the country was not ready to fight the deadly coronavirus. However, considering the worsening economic situation across the state, the Delhi government has decided to re-open the capital. "We will not be able to sustain the lockdown for long as the economy is in peril. The revenue has fallen from Rs 3500 Crores in April month of previous years to Rs 300 Crores this year. How will the government function?" Kejriwal government has announced the lockdown exit plan and listed out several services and industries which have been given restricted relief. He said all the government offices with essential services will have 100 per cent staff while those in non-essential services will run with 33 per cent attendance. Adding to it, Kejriwal further said that to maintain the norms of social distancing, not more than 50 people are allowed at wedding functions and not more than 20 at last rites of a deceased person. The Delhi Metro will remain shut while shops selling essential items will continue to be open. Delhi has so far recorded a total of 4,122 cases of coronavirus, of whom 1,256 patients have recovered while 64 have lost their lives.