NEW DELHI — Some of India’s states are easing lockdown
restrictions as
coronavirus infections subside, with the world’s second
most-populous nation on Saturday logging its lowest daily case count in nearly
two months.
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The national capital territory of Delhi, the seat of India’s
federal government, was among those relaxing restrictions and will allow shops
to open on alternate days. Shops with even numbers will open on one day while
those with odd numbers will open the next day. Private offices will also now be
allowed to operate at 50 percent of normal staffing levels.
“The coronavirus situation in Delhi is slowly getting
better,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in an online news conference as he
announced that the state will build oxygen storage capacity of 420 tonnes.
Hospitals in Delhi had struggled to provide oxygen cylinders
and beds to patients as infections surged but that wave began subsiding from
the middle of last month.
Kejriwal said the state would in future be prepared to deal
with 37,000 new cases a day. Its peak thus far was 28,395 new infections on
April 20.
In northern Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous
state, only night curfew restrictions remain for 55 of its 75 districts.
“Districts which have positive cases under 600 have been
given permission to open but with restrictions, while cities with over 600
positive cases will be under lockdown till the next order,” a local government
spokesperson said.
Overall, India saw 120,529 new
coronavirus infections emerge
over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,380. The country’s total case
tally stands at 28.69 million while 344,082 people have died.
In the industrialized western state of Maharashtra, the
local government will from June 7 allow malls, movie theatres, restaurants and
offices to open regularly in districts where the positivity rate has fallen
below 5 percent.
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat,
also in the west, all government and private offices will be allowed to operate
fully staffed from June 7, instead of the current restriction of 50 percent.
The Gujarat government has also eased restrictions on
commercial activities, allowing shops in 36 cities to remain open for longer.
In eastern Odisha state, lockdowns have been eased in three
districts thanks to a decline in coronavirus cases while the southern state of
Tamil Nadu now allows grocery retailers to open for most of the day and has
permitted offices to operate with 30 percent capacity.
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