Delhi considers lifting Covid limits, despite vaccine shortage
By Karan Deep Singh
NEW DELHI — Delhi is considering relaxing its COVID-19 restrictions six weeks after a devastating coronavirus surge rocked the Indian capital, with a pledge to ramp up vaccinations to protect the city’s more than 20 million people from another wave.
But the vow came after a weekend in which city officials were forced to close vaccination centres for lack of supply, a problem plaguing the entire country as the coronavirus continues to spread. India does not have the vaccine manufacturing capacity to inoculate a big portion of its population anytime soon, while the prospect of importing new supplies from abroad has bogged down amid squabbling between the central and local governments.
As a result, any decision to lift coronavirus restrictions could be a mistake if the government allows large maskless gatherings to take place as it did before.
“The only answer is vaccination,” said Anand Krishnan, a professor of community medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
“The risk will be there,” he said. “We need to continue to follow all precautions, including double-masking, avoiding crowds and gatherings of any kind, be it social, religious or political.”
Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, announced Sunday (23) that the city will start “unlocking” gradually next week if cases continue to fall, while acknowledging a “severe shortage” of vaccines.
“Our top priority is to get everyone vaccinated,” Kejriwal said at a news conference. “If everyone gets vaccinated, maybe we will be spared of the third wave.”
The chief minister did not detail what limits would be lifted. Currently, all businesses, except essential services like food deliveries and pharmacies, are closed. Movement is limited and public transportation has been shut down, although people can travel in private cars and buses. The limits apply to the Delhi region, which includes the New Delhi central district where major government offices are based.
Kejriwal’s comments follow a sharp drop in infections and deaths in Delhi, at least by official figures. On Monday (24), Delhi reported 1,649 new infections and 189 deaths. Those figures represent a steep decline from the nearly 30,000 new cases in mid-April, although they also show that coronavirus infections remain a lingering threat.
-New York Times