Time to reopen Delhi, be ready to live with coronavirus: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi CM Kejriwal says it's impossible that there will be no cases of coronavirus because it has not happened across the world

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the time has come to re-open Delhi as people will have to be ready to live with the coronavirus. 

Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said the Delhi government will suggest to the Centre that only containment areas in the city be declared as red zones and not the entire district. At present, all 11 districts in the city have been declared as red zones. 

“Time has come to reopen Delhi. We will have to be ready to live with coronavirus. We will have to get used to it,” he said. 

He said the novel coronavirus is going nowhere and it is impossible that cases of coronavirus will be zero.  “It is impossible that there will be no cases of coronavirus because it has not happened across the world. 

We will have to be ready to live with coronavirus. We will have to get used to it,” he said.He also announced a number of relief measures that will come into force from Monday, but said the lockdown will continue for another two weeks.

The country saw a record jump of 83 deaths and 2,487 cases in 24 hours on Sunday, with the number of Covid-19 deaths rising to 1,306 and total cases climbing to 40,263.

 

 

Maharashtra reported 790 new cases as the total climbed to 12,296, making up nearly 31 per cent of confirmed patients in the country. The state has the highest number of deaths with 521. 

Gujarat had the second highest number of cases at 5,054, and Delhi was a close third with 4,122 cases. 

Meanwhile, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) headquarters were sealed after two positive cases were found in the campus. A personal staff of a senior CRPF officer and a bus driver of the paramilitary force tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. The force has been witnessing multiple cases of the virus, with at least 135 personnel of its 31st battalion based in Delhi being infected and a 55-year-old sub-inspector of the unit succumbing to the disease last week.

The Border Security Force (BSF) also saw 25 more positive cases on Sunday, taking the tally in the force to 42, an official said. The new cases were reported from a unit of the 126th battalion of the force, deployed in the Jama Masjid and Chandni Mahal areas of Delhi.

Concerned over scores of front-line security personnel catching the Covid-19 disease, the Centre suggested to states to prepare an effective second line of defence by deploying home guards, civil defence and NCC cadets among others wherever feasible to contain the spread of the deadly virus.