Delhi Chief Minister on May 28 said that the lockdown in the city will end on May 31 morning and subsequently the unlock process will begin. He said that fresh COVID-19 cases in Delhi have dropped and the positivity rate has also reduced to 1.5 percent.
"It’s now the time to start unlocking gradually. We don’t want a situation wherein people save themselves from coronavirus but die due to hunger," Kejriwal said in his address.
The Delhi government will allow construction activities and factories to reopen from May 31, Kejriwal said.
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The decision was taken at a crucial meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) held on May 28.
"At a meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Friday, it was decided that the lockdown be lifted gradually. In the process, we have to take care of the lowest strata first ... daily wagers, labourers, migrant workers," he said.
Every week, based on experts' and public opinion, the government will continue the unlock process, he said.
"After facing so many problems, we have gained control over the 2nd wave somehow. This doesn't mean the fight has ended. The situation is under control for now. In the last 24 hours, the positivity rate stood at around 1.5 percent," the chief minister said.
Announcing the extension of the lockdown in Delhi last week, Kejriwal had said the process of unlock will start from May 31 if the downward trend of COVID cases and positivity rate continued during the week.
Delhi on May 27 recorded 117 more COVID-19 fatalities, the lowest since April 15, and 1,072 new cases, while the positivity rate dipped to a nearly two-month low of 1.53 percent, according to the daily health bulletin.
This is the fifth day in a row when the daily cases in Delhi have remained below 2,000 and the second consecutive day when the cases are below 1,500.
The number of deaths reported on Thursday (117) is the lowest since April 15 when the national capital had reported 112 fatalities, while the positivity rate (1.52 percent) is the lowest since March 23, when it was 1.31 percent, official data showed.
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