DDMA likely to meet next week to decide on further relaxing Covid restrictions

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is expected to meet next week to take a call on further relaxing COVID-19-related restrictions amid declining cases in the city, official sources said on Friday.

Demands have been raised by several quarters, including traders and political parties, for further relaxations such as lifting night curfew, permitting weekly markets in all municipal zones, and allowing visitors in religious places.

The DDMA meeting is expected to be held next week but a date for it is yet to be finalised, sources said.

Chairman of Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) Brijesh Goyal has questioned the continuance of night curfew, saying it was hurting traders. He said that now the marriage season has started and people are going to face problems due to night curfew.

The DDMA in its meeting on February 4 had extended the imposition of night curfew, but slashed the timing by an hour from 11 PM to 5 AM. Non-essential shops are allowed to open till 8 PM due to the night curfew.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta on Thursday wrote a letter to Lt Governor and DDMA chairman Anil Baijal, requesting him to allow visitors in temples and other religious places. Currently religious places are permitted to open without visitors.

Several restrictions like only one weekly market permitted in a municipal zone, no standing passengers allowed in buses and Metro trains, 50 per cent cap on seating capacity in restaurants, bars and cinemas and no activity except weddings in banquet halls are yet to be relaxed even though the pandemic situation has improved in Delhi.

Delhi on Friday reported 977 fresh Covid cases and 12 more deaths, while the positivity rate dropped to 1.73 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.