New Delhi: As Delhi grapples with the third wave of the pandemic, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday hinted that markets with uncontrolled crowds could be locked down again and said his government had written to L-G Anil Baijal to cap the number of guests at weddings at 50, down from the 200 allowed as part of the "unlock" measures.
The chief minister said the Centre and all agencies are making "double efforts" to control the COVID-19 situation in the national Capital. "We are sending a proposal to the Centre to give power to the Delhi government to impose lockdown in market areas which may emerge as COVID-19 hotspots," he said.
During Diwali, it was seen that many people were not wearing masks and violating social distancing norms due to which the Coronavirus spread very much, he said. "I hope the crowd in the markets will thin out and there will be no need to lock them down. However, if violations of mask-wearing and social distancing are witnessed and there is a chance of these markets becoming local Coronavirus hotspots, these could be shut down as a preventive measure for some days," he said.
Reacting to this, the Confederation of All India Traders issued a statement, opposing the possible lockdown in markets, urging Union Home minister Amit Shah and the L-G to intervene before such "counterproductive" measures are put in place, affecting lakhs who depend on trade.
"The pros and cons of shutting the markets must be examined. The traders and Trade Associations of Delhi stand fully in solidarity with the government to tackle the Covid situation," CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said.
During the media briefing on Tuesday, Kejriwal thanked the Central government for helping the people of Delhi in "such difficult times". "All this is being done for you and your family. So I appeal to you, please, please, please wear face masks and follow social distancing," Kejriwal pleaded.