Delhi declares 6 more Covid-19 hotspots; city now has 30 containment zones

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government took the decision after 183 new confirmed coronavirus cases surfaced in the city in 24 hours

The Delhi government on Friday declared six more areas in the city as containment zones, taking the total number of Covid-19 hotspots sealed in the national capital to 30.

The new areas include Nabi Karim, E pocket GTB enclave, Street numbers 18 to 22 in Zakir Nagar, and the nearby area of Abu Bakr Masjid in Zakir Nagar. All these areas have been earmarked as containment and sealed. The area around the Dindarpur village in Najafgarh has also been made a containment zone after three from a family tested positive for coronavirus there.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted on Friday: "Delhi now has 30 containment zones under operation SHIELD."

The decision was taken by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government after 183 new Covid-19 cases surfaced in the city in 24 hours on Friday, taking the total number of infections in the city to 903.

Delhi also reported two deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total Covid-19-related death toll in the national capital to 14. According to the Delhi health department, among the 903 cases, 584 cases are related to the Nizamuddin Markaz alone, adding 154 new cases in the past 24 hours.

"Among the 183 new cases, 20 had travel history or contact history," the health bulletin said.

The Delhi government had on Wednesday sealed 20 coronavirus hotspots across the city and all movements in these areas had been completely barred. Speaking to the media, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said the decision was taken to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus.

With 40 deaths and 1,035 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, India on Saturday witnessed the sharpest single-day surge since the coronavirus outbreak. The tally of infected people in the country now stands at 7,447 and deaths at 239, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.