Reimpose lockdown in Delhi, states PIL

New Delhi: A PIL was filed in Delhi high court on Thursday for reimposing stringent lockdown in the city due to steep rise in Covid-19 cases.

The plea by a lawyer argued that Delhi government itself was admitting that there would be around 1 lakh Covid cases in Delhi by end of June, which would escalate to around 2.25 lakh by mid-July and over 5.5 lakh by July-end. In such a scenario, the government should consider imposing strict lockdown in Delhi, the plea contended.

The petition has also sought a direction to the government to consider constituting an expert committee of doctors, medical specialists and virologists to prepare a detailed blueprint for controlling or containing the spread of the virus.

It sought to reimpose lockdown on the ground that during the earlier period, the rate of increase in Covid cases was low. By allowing movement of people and activities like reopening of public transport, religious places, malls, restaurants/hotels, the spread of the virus has severely spiked, resulting in rise in daily cases, it added.

The petition alleged that there was already a huge deficiency in the number of adequate beds/ ventilators/ ICU wards/ testing facilities in Delhi to deal with Covid-19, with the increase in the number of positive cases, the situation in Delhi could get “darker” and “unmanageable”, which is why lockdown is needed.

It added that the forthcoming rise in cases could send the healthcare infrastructure in into disarray. “The primary focus/efforts/ resources of the state, as of now should not be on the monetary/economic aspects, but on the health and safety of its people,” the petition said.