In the last few days, the number of Covid cases has risen exponentially in the city of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, has no clue about how to deal with the problem, and he is suggesting different strategies (often contradictory) with every passing day.
“Over 10,000 COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours, this is a worrisome situation,” Kejriwal admitted in a press conference.
“Till mid-March, there were less than 200 daily Covid cases in the city. But in the last 24 hours, 10,732 cases were recorded… (the highest single-day spike till date). Delhi reported 7,897 new coronavirus cases on Saturday and 8,500 a day before that. In the last 10-15 days, coronavirus has spread very quickly,” Kejriwal said.
Arvind Kejriwal is not sure whether to impose a lockdown, or increase restriction, or keep things as they are. While the other governments have imposed reasonable restrictions, ramping up the medical infrastructure, and have increased testing. The Delhi government has no plan or roadmap to deal with the rising cases despite the fact that the positivity rate has gone above 10 percent. On lockdown, Kejriwal neither denied nor accepted its possibility.
“I am not in favour of lockdown. I feel that lockdown is not the solution to Corona. [But] It should be imposed by any government when its hospital structure collapses. Through lockdown, the pace of the spread of disease reduces… If you (citizens) cooperate and the hospital facilities stay under control, we won’t have to impose a lockdown in Delhi,” the Chief Minister said.
“However”, he added, “in case the number of beds in hospitals starts falling short, we might have to impose a lockdown. I am not in favour of lockdown. I just need your cooperation”.
This is not the first time that Kejriwal looks clueless in the fight against the Coronavirus and shrugging off the responsibility. When the first Corona wave hit the city, Delhi’s populist chief minister had made tall claims of tackling Coronavirus initially but when things went a little south, the former IRS officer threw in the towel and shrugged off from his responsibilities saying, “Abb humein Coronavirus ke saath jeena hoga” (We will have to live with Coronavirus).
Kejriwal’s AAP government came up with outrageous ideas like trying to reserve Delhi hospitals for Delhi residents to tackle the public health emergency. As if the Coronavirus pandemic wasn’t enough, the Delhi government also tried to rake up regional parochialism and bias.
After the utter failure of Arvind Kejriwal in controlling the virus, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took the matter into his hands and sailed the city through the first wave.
Under Amit Shah’s aegis, eight thousand beds were made in railway coaches and another 8,000 beds were prepared. Meanwhile, the DRDO made an exclusive COVID-hospital which had 250 ICU beds with ventilators.
Amit Shah had visited the LNJP hospital, where the doctors were harassed and held a high-level meeting with officials to review the functioning of the hospital. Amit Shah had immediately provided 500 oxygen cylinders, around 10,000 oximeters, and 440 ventilators to the hospital, after hearing the grievances of the medical staff.
The Kejriwal government should have learned from Amit Shah’s managerial style during the first wave and utilized it now. But, the Kejriwal government, like always, is busier in PR and managing media headlines instead of coming up with a strategy against fourth wave.