Amid the current rise in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the residents of Delhi fear a lockdown-like situation once again. Just a day after Delhi logged 10,665 fresh COVID-19 cases, health minister Satyendra Jain made a significant announcement.

Delhi witnessed the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in the past eight months yesterday, however, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that the situation is under control and ruled out the possibility of a lockdown in the city.

Though he ruled out a lockdown in Delhi, the minister said that over 14,000 new cases are likely in the city today. Jain said, “Covid cases in Delhi have seen a sharp rise in the past few days. Many more cases have come, today it is going to be near 14,000.”

Despite the high number of cases, the health minister dismissed the possibility of a complete shutdown, and said, “Delhi is in a comfortable position in terms of hospital bed occupancy.” He also said that the situation is fine, as compared to the second wave.

While speaking to reporters, Satyendra Jain said, “Currently, the death ratio is 1 in 1,000. The situation is fine as compared to last time. Yesterday we had 9,000 free beds, today it has become 12,000, so our preparations are complete. We are now conducting close to 90,000 tests.”

The COVID-19 infection rate in Delhi is about to reach an all-time high, with the positivity rate jumping to 11.88 percent on Wednesday. The highest positivity rate recorded in Delhi was 12.4 percent in May 2021, at the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.

The Delhi government has imposed several restrictions in the national capital in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, such as a night curfew, a weekend lockdown, and the closure of several public places such as gyms, cinema halls, swimming pools, and others.