Covid 19 updates: Red alert or not?

For the second consecutive day, India has reported more than 1.5 lakh Covid cases. According to the Union Ministry of Health, India has recorded 1,59,632 new Covid cases and 327 deaths in the last 24 hours, ending Sunday at 9 am. The active caseload stands at 5,90,611 and the positivity rate stood at 10.21%.

Meanwhile, the omicron cases have reached 3,623 in the country with the highest 1,009 cases in Maharashtra. According to the Health Ministry Data update this morning, the active cases comprise 1.66 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 96.98 per cent.

As the transmission of the fatal virus is increasing every day, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority has decided to hold a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday to discuss the future preparation. According to the PTI, there have been discussions on whether to implement GRAP (level 4 Red) after reviewing the Covid situation in the capital. GRAP, red alert is imposed when Covid positivity rate crosses 5% for 2 or more consecutive days.

Whereas on Sunday, Arvind Kejriwal has said that there is no need to panic despite the rising cases of Covid. He mentioned that situation isunder control. However, he raised his concern over the 22,000  expected cases in Delhi within 24 hours.

The application of a 'red alert' would mean a lockdown in the capital. Meanwhile with the specter of another lockdown looming large the residents of Delhi have opinions in the matter. Says Manisha Jain, a resident of sector 11, Dwarka, " I think it is a good idea to impose a lockdown now before things get out of hand. The government has been saying that they are much better prepared than last time to deal with the third wave but still things can get out of hand pretty quickly especially when we all know that the new variants are more infectious." 

Roshni Mishra, a resident of Sector 13, Dwarka says, "Sure, another lockdown will come with a lot of hassle for the residents. There must be a clear picture of the current situation. If a lockdown is needed, it must not be delayed." 

Preeti Jain(37) from Malviya Nagar, a homemaker opines,  “Delhi Government should impose lockdown now as the rates are  increasing every day. Since yellow alert is not working, we need  full lockdown to control the situation.”

Deepak(22) from Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi, a student pursuing masters in mass communication says, “We can see fewer numbers of cases  till the end of February if the situation is controlled now. I  feel the Government should not impose lockdown as conditions are under  control but they should take all the precautions and have their health staff ready to face any sudden emergency.”

Amid the rapid increase in daily cases of Covid-19, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has currently imposed the yellow alert and aweekend curfew in the capital of the nation. Under this new curb, all
the educational institutes, cinemas, and gyms are shut down.