Even as the city grappled with an average of 90 Covid-related deaths per day in the past week, the Centre alerted the Delhi government to the possibility of a further spike in Covid-19 cases in the wake of crowded markets during the festive season and called for doubling of RT-PCR tests and offered to airlift paramilitary staff to augment the city’s medical resources while making available more ICU beds and ventilators.
For the second time after June, home minister Amit Shah oversaw a vigorous central intervention in Delhi, with a review meeting with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal resulting in detailed directions on stepping up testing, augmenting capacity of city’s hospitals, a review of containment strategies and enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour. The Centre’s presentation pointed to people thronging markets and public places. “The impact of the crowds in markets and elsewhere could show up in about 10-15 days,” a source said.
