The Delhi government on December 26 announced the imposition of night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am in view of the surge in daily COVID-19 cases.
Delhi has been witnessing a steady uptick in new Covid cases amid the spread of Omicron, triggering concerns over the healthcare system which got overwhelmed during the second Covid wave.
According to Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)’s four-stage Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a ‘yellow alert’ will be sounded if the positivity rates remain over 0.5 percent for more than two days.
If the yellow alert comes into effect, restaurants and bars will be forced to operate at 50 percent of their total capacity, shops selling non-essential items would be allowed to remain open from 10 am to 8 pm under the odd-even rule., and cinema halls and theatres would be asked to shut down. This is in accordance to the GRAP which was approved by DDMA in July amid fears of a likely third wave.
And so will be banquet halls and auditoriums. However, hotels will be allowed to remain open.
Spas, gyms, yoga institutes, and entertainment parks will be shut down. Sports complexes, stadiums and swimming pools will be closed. But there will be no restrictions on organising national or international sporting events at these places. Public parks will remain open.
The yellow alert will not come in the way of salons and beauty parlours which will be allowed to operate in the city.
The Delhi Metro will run at 50 per cent seating capacity and no travellers will be allowed to stand inside. Interstate buses will run at 50 per cent seating and only two passengers will be allowed in autos, e-rickshaws, taxis and cycle rickshaws.
At weddings and funerals, only 20 people will be allowed and the ban on social, political, religious, festival and entertainment-related activities will continue. Religious places will remain open but the entry of devotees will be restricted.
The yellow alert will also shut down schools, colleges, educational institutions, and coaching institutes. Private offices will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity from 9 am to 5 pm.
