Nearly 68% Delhi residents want curfew to continue amid Covid surge: Survey

As hundreds die every day due to Covid in the capital, citizens' opinion titled towards stricter curbs

As dead bodies pile up at the capital’s crematoriums, with hundreds dying every day, fear of Covid pandemic has engulfed Delhi residents like never before. A recent survey conducted across the capital shows, nearly 7 out of 10 Delhi residents are now in favour of remaining locked inside their homes as thousands of Covid patients choke the capital’s healthcare infrastructure.

The survey conducted by LocalCircles in all the 11 districts of the city reflects the change in opinion among Delhiites of late. Citizens, who were flooding the high streets and were caught flouting norms just a few weeks ago, are now willing to stay under a strict curfew at least for another week.

While 28 per cent of the 8,000-odd respondents said they want the curfew to be extended for three weeks, 20 per cent are in favour of a fortnight-long restrictions, while another 20 per cent said they want the ongoing measures to continue for another week.

The change in their mood can be gauged from the fact that a month ago, only 15 per cent of the residents were in favour of a curfew or lockdown in the capital, compared to 68 per cent now.

The swing in opinion is contrasting but not without a rationale. In the past few weeks, the number of daily Covid cases in the capital has jumped – from 175 on March 1 to 2,790 on April 1 to 2,169 yesterday (22 April). This has not only resulted in an acute shortage of beds at hospitals, shortage of medical oxygen has further placed the infrastructure at the brink of an eminent disaster.

The inability of its healthcare system to sustain the massive surge in cases has led to pilling up dead bodies at crematoriums. From one reported death on March 1, Delhi is now recording 306 Covid-related deaths a day. In fact, since April 1 the number of total cases and deaths have skyrocketed. While total cases have jumped 44 per cent – from 665,200 on April 1 to 956,350 till yesterday. Number of deaths has grown 20 per cent to 13,193 from 11,036 at the beginning of the month.

While the government of Delhi has not yet come out with its plans to extend the ongoing curfew, repeated SOS calls from chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the last few days, for medical support from the union government is only testimony to the graveness of the situation in the capital.