New Delhi, capital of India, will be confined for the weekend as authorities grapple with a new spike in coronavirus cases, largely driven by the very fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The country suffered a devastating covid-19 outbreak Over the past year, it overwhelmed hospitals, crematoria and cemeteries, but since then the number of cases found daily remained at a relatively low level until last week.
The new sanitary restrictions in New Delhi were taken on the same day that the prime minister of the huge metropolis, Arvind Kejriwal, announced that he was infected and was suffering from “mild symptoms.”
Kejriwal said he is in isolation at home and urged those who had been in contact with him in recent days to get tested.
The capital last week closed gyms and cinemas, and imposed a nightly curfew in an effort to stop the spread of Omicron.
All residents will be urged to stay home from Friday night until Monday morning.
“The government is fully prepared to combat any contingency linked to Covid,” Manish Sisodia, the main deputy minister of the huge city, said in a speech on Tuesday.
More than 200,000 people died throughout India during the last spring (boreal) after a wave of infections by the Delta variant, which overwhelmed the health system.
The 481,000 deaths from Covid-19 found in India constitute the third highest figure in the world, only behind the United States and Brazil.
But it is very common that deaths and their causes are not reported, so according to studies the real figure could be up to 10 times higher.
Monday, India It began inoculating adolescents and will offer a booster dose to those over 60 starting next week.
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