Delhi to lift lockdown from May 31 after drop in COVID-19 cases

The unlocking process in Delhi will begin from Monday as COVID-19 cases have continued to dip, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. Delhi government has allowed construction activities and factories to resume from May 31."This lockdown will last till Monday, 5am. We will begin the unlocking process. Construction activities and factories will be reopened from Monday keeping the daily wage workers in mind," Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced, adding, "Positivity rate has come down to 1.5 per cent and around 1,100 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in Delhi."

The current phase of restrictions in Delhi is set to end on May 31. The national capital city was put under lockdown last month to arrest the spread of the virus. Notably, the positivity rate has dropped to 1.53 per cent in Delhi from 31 per cent in April as the city reported 1,072 fresh cases in the last 24 hours. Kejriwal had on Wednesday expressed concerns over businesses shutting down due to the lockdown and hinted at the gradual opening of markets. "The lockdown cannot be extended for an unlimited period since people are suffering and businesses are shutting down. In the coming days, we will have to see how much can be opened up and how it can be opened. But if the reopening is dependent on vaccination, then we don't even know when we will be able to vaccinate all," he had said.