TLI Staff
New Delhi: Even as it means substantial business loss for traders, Delhi-based Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has hailed the local government’s move to extend lockdown for another week in the wake of alarmingly high coronavirus infection rate.
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that fast increasing Covid cases in Delhi and non-availability of medical facilities including beds in hospitals, acute shortage of oxygen, and non-availability of required medicines necessitated extension of lockdown.
“Traders across Delhi were most willingly demanding lockdown inspite of the fact they will be the worst sufferers of the restrictions but in view of the present critical Covid crisis a lockdown was inevitable,” said Khandelwal.
With Covid situation going virtually out of control, the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on April 19 announced curfew in the city-state for a week. But with pandemic situation remaining as worse as it was then, the government has now extended the lockdown.
Delhi is among the worst-hit cities with daily surge in cases leading to excessively high pressure on the city’s hospitals. Ever since infections started multiplying, there has been shortage of oxygen, necessary medicines and hospital beds.
Announcing the decision to extend lockdown, CM Kejriwal said, “Coronavirus still continues to wreak havoc in the city. Public opinion is that lockdown should increase. So the lockdown is being extended for one week.”
Breaching all grim milestones, Covid positivity rate had reached 36.24% on 22nd April and there have been no signs of data turning favourable. A 36.24% positivity rate means every third person going for Covid test is found to be positive.
CAIT chief Khandelwal said that closure of markets will certainly put a curb of rise in Covid numbers whereas on the other hand it will give government a little more time to restore medical facilities.
“We must remember at this juncture that every life of Indian matters whoever it is. We must rise and safeguard our beloved nation that is crying right now and bring back hopes. The traders stands in solidarity with you and are geared up to join hands with the government for any responsibility that we are capable of,” he said.