There is fear among people regarding the extended lockdown, with many worried about the circumstances created by the pandemic within the country. Residents of New Delhi, in particular, are frantic over the supply of essential commodities and restrictions on their movement. In response to the havoc caused by COVID-19, more than 800 calls have been received by Delhi Police in a span of merely 24-hours since Saturday – 25 April 2020. Out of the plethora of telephonic queries made 56 were in association with issues outside Delhi and were diverted to the respective state helpline numbers, as stated by the police.
Most calls regarding movement, food or money:
At least 600 calls were to obtain travel passes by those stuck in Delhi and willing to return to their respective locations. Others were made by individuals who did not have money or employment and about ten calls were by individuals who were struggling for food.
The police stated that a food distribution network is currently set-up in each of the 15 districts of the national capital. It is run by close to 400 NGOs, RWAs, great Samaritans and is being operated with encouragement from the Delhi Police. At present, the network has successfully been pushing out meals and food parcels in over 250 areas and has enabled the feeding of 2,90,077 individuals and dissemination of dry ration kits to 2,737 individuals.
Current status of the pandemic in Delhi:
At present, the total number of positive cases in India stands at 31332, with deaths amounting to 1107. Delhi has the third most number of coronavirus cases in the country (after Maharashtra and Gujarat) with 3108 positive cases. As of today, 54 individuals have lost their lives in the national capital and 887 have recovered from the deadly virus. The city currently has 95 control zones to curb the situation at the forefront.
Lockdown in India extended:
A month ago, a nationwide lockdown was announced by Narendra Modi from the 25th of March 2020 to 14th April 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus. However, considering the increasing number of cases in the nation, the lockdown has now been extended up to the 3rd of May 2020. Although most activities are on a stand-still, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued guidelines easing restrictions of certain economic activities and services from 20th April 2020.
