The statement from Manish Sisodia came hours after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government sent a proposal to the Centre in this regard with Kejriwal mulling shutting down markets that are a potential hotspot.
New Delhi: Hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government has sought permission from the Centre regarding imposing lockdown in COVID hotpots across the national capital, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday quashed all speculations and said there is no such plan of the government as of now.
The statement from Deputy CM came hours after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government sent a proposal in this regard to the Centre with Kejriwal mulling shutting down markets that are a potential hotspot.
Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Sisodia said that there are no plans for another lockdown or mini lockdowns in Delhi. He further added that festivals caused crowding at markets in Delhi but the government expects it to go down as the festive season winds down.
Talking about the proposal sent to the Centre, he said the Delhi government has only asked for an exemption from Home Ministry rules to reduce crowding.
“We will look to curb crowds at markets subject to tests, positivity rates. We will also speak to market associations on measures to reduce crowding,” he added.
Saying that lockdowns are not a solution to COVID-19, he said the actual solution lies with the medical field and added that the government is only looking for ways to see how to curb crowding in markets.
Jain had also said the virus cannot be contained through lockdown and that people should protect themselves by wearing face masks.
The development comes after Kejriwal sought power from the Centre to impose lockdown in those markets which may emerge as COVID-19 hotspots, and decided to withdraw an order allowing 200 guests to attend wedding functions.
The chief minister said the Centre and all agencies are making “double efforts” to control the COVID-19 situation in the national capital.
Delhi recorded over one lakh new coronavirus cases and around 1,200 deaths between November 1-16 while nearly 94,000 COVID-19 patients recovered during the same period.
From October 1 to 15, 41,316 cases and 563 fatalities had been recorded in the city while 45,056 people had recovered from the virus.
The national capital has witnessed a sudden spike in coronavirus cases since October 28 when the daily rise breached the 5,000-mark for the first time and it crossed the 8,000-mark on November 11.