As COVID cases continue to decline in the country, the national capital of Delhi announced that it will withdraw all Covid restrictions, including night curfew. Furthermore, physical classes in schools will be restarted from April 1 and the fine for not wearing masks will be reduced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 500, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced. ‘Government will keep a strict watch,” the CM added.
He said that the restrictions were lifted as the COVID-19 situation had improved and people were facing hardships due to the curbs.
DDMA withdraws all restrictions as situation improves n people facing hardships due to loss of jobs
Schools to function fully offline from 1 Apr
Fines for not wearing masks reduced to Rs 500
All shud continue following Covid Appropriate Behaviour. Govt will keep strict watch
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 25, 2022
Delhi Disaster Management Authority withdraws all restrictions as situation improves n people facing hardships due to loss of jobs. Schools to function fully offline from 1 April. Fines for not wearing masks reduced to Rs 500. All should continue following Covid Appropriate Behaviour. government will keep strict watch, CM Kejriwal tweeted.
Also Read: COVID-19: Should Schools Reopen Without Children Being Vaccinated?
The announcement comes after the meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Friday, February 25.
On Thursday, February 24, the capital reported a positivity rate if 1.10 per cent with 556 new Covid cases along with six deaths due to the infection, according to Delhi government’s health department data.
On February 4, the DDMA had allowed several relaxations, including opening of schools and colleges. The schools were allowed to function in mixed online-offline mode. Weekend curfew was lifted but the timing of imposition of night curfew was extended to 11 PM instead of 10 PM to 5 AM.
The restriction that remained in force included permitting only one weekly market in a municipal zone, Cap of 200 persons at weddings as well as funeral-related gatherings and ban on entry of visitors at religious places.
A detailed order on relaxations permitted by the DDMA is expected to be issued soon.
Also Read: Idea Of Herd Immunity Through Natural Infection ‘Foolish’: Dr Soumya Swaminathan Tells NDTV
Talking about the move, Dr Vaibhav Awasthi, Pulmonologist at Apollo Hospital, says that the curbs are being lifted at the ‘perfect time’.
It is the perfect time to lift COVID curbs as we have already passed the third wave of infection, and thankfully we were at a much better place than the second wave. Moreover, WHO and other experts have continuously been warning us that Omicron was not the last variant, so at such a time, we need to shift our focus to people’s livelihoods, vaccinating the remaining population and of course, following COVID appropriate behaviour. I hope other cities will follow the sign and remove the restrictions as well, especially when it comes to children and schools. While adults have been able to go back to their pre-covid lifestyle gradually like going back to offices, children are the ones who are the ones struggling in more ways than one due to online schooling. We need to send our children back to schools.
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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