Delhi: Will COVID-19 curbs be eased? Here's all you need to know

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the highest decision-making body on COVID-19-related issues, is slated to meet under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday to review the COVID-19 situation. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also be present in the meeting which will be held at 12.30 pm tomorrow (January 27). In the meeting, it will be discussed whether the ongoing COVID-19 curbs should be eased in the national capital or not.

Delhi traders' bodies ask L-G to lift weekend curfew

Continuing its demand to lift the weekend curfew and odd-even rule for opening shops, the traders' fraternity has shot a letter to the Lieutenant Governor.

In its letter, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) asked the L-G to relax COVID-19 restrictions in Delhi in view of the decreasing number of cases.

CAIT, secretary general, Praveen Khandelwal said the retail trade in Delhi has suffered a loss of about 70 per cent in the last 25 days due to the restrictions.

"Non-vaccinated persons should not be allowed to move out of their home, whereas on the other hand, the odd-even system and weekend lockdown should be abolished," Khandelwal stated in the letter.

Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) chairman Brijesh Goyal, too, on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Baijal requesting him to ease restrictions for traders.

"Nearly 20 lakh traders of the city are troubled due to the weekend curfew and odd-even restrictions on shops. COVID-19 cases have come down considerably in Delhi," Goyal stated in the memorandum asking the L-G to consider the traders' demands during the Thursday meeting.

Delhi govt to recommend reopening of schools in DDMA meeting on Thursday: Manish Sisodia

The Delhi government will recommend the reopening of schools in the national capital in the DDMA meeting as it has now become necessary to prevent further damage to the social and emotional well-being of children, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday.

Asserting that online education can never replace offline education, Sisodia said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children, but excessive caution is now harming students.

"In the past two years, school children's lives have been confined to their rooms. Instead of going to schools and spending time in playgrounds, all their activities now take place only on mobile phones. "The pandemic-induced school closures have not only affected their studies but also their mental health. During COVID, our priority was children's safety. But since various researches have now found that COVID is not so harmful for kids, it is important to reopen the schools, as now is the time for exams and related preparations," Sisodia said.

(With PTI inputs)

Published on: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 07:52 PM IST