'Yellow alert' to continue in Delhi, authorities in wait-and-watch mode

The DDMA on Wednesday decided that Covid-related restrictions imposed in Delhi under the 'yellow alert' will continue for the time being and authorities will monitor the situation for a while before deciding on fresh curbs, official sources said.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. It was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and experts.

The DDMA on Tuesday declared a 'yellow alert' under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the city amid a spike in coronavirus cases following the emergence of the virus' Omicron variant.

The 'yellow alert' entails restrictions like night curfew, closure of schools and colleges, opening of shops selling non-essential items on an odd-even basis, halved seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, among other things.

The DDMA has decided that curbs imposed under the 'yellow alert' will continue in the national capital for now, the sources said.

The authorities are in favour of monitoring the situation for some more time and to avoid imposing further restrictions under 'amber alert', they said.

An 'amber alert' is declared when the positivity rate is recorded at one per cent or above for two consecutive days.

"It was discussed that most Covid cases are asymptomatic and mild and there are fewer hospitalisations, which indicates that the situation is not that bad," a source said.

During the meeting, it was also decided to ensure strict implementation of restrictions imposed under the 'yellow alert'. In case the situation worsens, emergency measures may be imposed, the sources said.

On Tuesday, Delhi recorded 496 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest since June 4, while the positivity rate stood at 0.89 per cent, according to health department data.

The total number of Omicron cases in the city stood at 165, the data stated.