Indian capital Delhi ordered a six-day lockdown on Monday as daily COVID-19 cases across the country hit a new record and the health system collapsed under the weight of new infections.
Hospitals in India are short of beds, oxygen and important medicines as the infection exceeds the 15 million mark, second only to the United States.
“The Delhi health system is unable to accommodate more patients in large numbers,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told a virtual press conference Monday.
“If a lockdown is not implemented now, the situation will be out of control.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled a planned trip to India next week due to the corona virus, his office said. read more
There were fewer than 100 intensive care beds available in the city of New Delhi, which has a population of more than 20 million people, Kejriwal said on Sunday, as social media flooded with complaints.
Daily COVID-19 cases in India were up 273,810 on Monday. The number of deaths increased by 1,619 to 178,769.
Delhi will be shut down on Monday evening.
It joins about 13 other states across the country that have decided to impose restrictions, curfews or lockdowns in their cities, including India’s richest state of Maharashtra and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, where the industrial city of Ahmedabad is also grappling with a shortage of beds.
There has been criticism of the way Modi’s government has handled the second wave of the pandemic in India, with religious festivals and electoral rallies attended by thousands.
Leaders, including Home Secretary Amit Shah, will hold further roadshows and public rallies on Monday.
Hong Kong said late Sunday that the Asian financial hub will suspend flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines for two weeks starting Tuesday. read more
On Monday, India had administered nearly 123.9 million doses of vaccine, the highest in the world after the United States and China, although it ranks much lower in terms of vaccination per capita.
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