Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was on Friday appointed the nodal minister for COVID-19 management in the national capital, according to an order. Sisodia will be responsible for inter-ministerial coordination till further orders, it said.
As the number of COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate continue to rise in the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced a curfew this weekend and the closure of malls, gymnasiums and auditoriums till April 30 as part of sweeping restrictions to break the chain of the infection.
Delhi recorded 16,699 COVID-19 cases and 112 fatalities on Thursday, according to the health department.
The positivity rate soared to 20.22 percent, the highest to date in Delhi.
The city had registered 17,282 new infections on Wednesday, its highest single-day spike to date. The number of cases has been on an upward spiral in the last few days.
Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Friday directed officers to set up helplines that inform the availability of beds besides help desk in every hospital to assist patients and attendants, an official said.
Baijal, who reviewed the enforcement of COVID appropriate behavior, said that concerted and coordinated efforts are required from all agencies and stakeholders to contain the surge of coronavirus in the national capital.
Chief Minister Kejriwal will also hold a meeting in the evening with Health Minister Satyendar Jain and senior officials to review the situation.
He had on Thursday asked officials to prepare a plan to ensure that there is no shortage of Remdesivir injections in Delhi.
He had also directed hospitals to provide real-time data related to COVID-19 beds on its application.
Remdesivir helps shorten recovery time for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and is being used in combination with other drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms.
