Delhi Covid-19 restrictions will be eased asap: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assured on Tuesday that the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions would be eased as soon as possible since the government does not wish people's livelihood to be affected, PTI reported.

While speaking at the Delhi government's Republic Day function, he added that the city's test positivity rate has come down to 10 per cent 10 days. The restrictions are still kept to safeguard people's health as Delhiites suffered the most from the pandemic.

The Delhi government had recently proposed to lift the weekend curfew as well as the odd-even scheme of opening shops in the city after the pandemic showed improvement. But the Lieutenant Governor disagreed with the plan.

Kejriwal said some traders had come last week and said they have issues regarding the odd-even scheme and weekend curfew. The governor agreed to some proposals but didn't for others. The city is facing the fifth wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron, he said. Though the variant spreads fast, he said it only causes mild disease.

Further, he spoke about the falling number of daily new cases of the pandemic and the Union territories vaccination programme.

On January 13, the number of fresh cases was 29,000, but only 2,500-3,000 hospital beds were occupied. January 15 recorded the highest test positivity rate, 30 per cent, in the UT, but has reduced to 10 per cent in 10 days. It is because of the vaccination drive, he said

He said that 100 per cent of the Delhi people are jabbed with the first dose, and 82 per cent got two doses. Covid-19 came from foreign lands, and most international flights came to Delhi. So whenever a new variant is reported in the country, it has to be in Delhi first, Kejriwal said.

He appreciated frontline workers, officers, doctors etc., who tackled the virus. Also, how natives of Delhi patiently faced the pandemic in a disciplined manner.