Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday informed that the metro will be running with a 100 per cent seating capacity and no standing passengers will be allowed till further notice.
Taking to Twitter, DMRC said: "Public Service Announcement, in the wake of the latest guidelines issued by DDMA, Delhi Metro will be running with the 100 per cent seating capacity and no standing passengers will be allowed till further notice."
Amid surging COVID-19 cases, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Tuesday decided to impose a weekend curfew in the national capital.
The Delhi government on Tuesday announced a weekend curfew and work from home for its offices as the city recorded 5,481 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest number since May 16, with a positivity rate of 8.37 percent and three fatalities.
Addressing an online media briefing, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that buses and metros will run with full seating capacity daily as long queues were being seen at bus stops and stations which could become "super spreaders" after the capacity had been halved.
Sisodia, who is also the nodal minister for COVID-19 management, said that during weekdays, government employees, barring those engaged in essential services, will be asked to work from home, while private offices will remain open with 50 percent capacity.
During the weekend curfew that will come into force at 10 PM on Friday and will be in place till 5 AM on Monday to tackle a surge in COVID-19 driven by Omicron, all essential services will be allowed in the national capital. The city Tuesday recorded 382 omicron cases while there were 351 cases a day earlier.
Along with weekend curfew, night curfew will also continue to be in place during weekdays.
During the online briefing on Tuesday, Sisodia said that based on the experiences so far, experts believe that the Omicron variant of COVID is not fatal.
"There will be a curfew on Saturdays and Sundays. People are requested to step out only when it is absolutely necessary. The weekend curfew will begin from Friday evening to Monday morning," Sisodia said.
He said that there have been relaxations for essential services in past too and the same will be available this time. "There have been lockdowns before so people have a fair idea about what is allowed and what is not," the deputy chief minister said. E-pass will be issued to those engaged in essential services during the weekend curfew, he added.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases in Delhi continued to see a rising trend with 5,481 new infections reported in the last 24 hours on Tuesday, pushing the positivity rate to 8.37 per cent, the highest in over seven months.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
