No tokens, thermal screening at entry: Delhi Metro set to begin amid COVID-19

New Delhi, Aug 30: As the Delhi Metro set to resume after a five-month gap, the use of masks and smart cards have been made mandatory.

The new guidelines issued by the Delhi government today listed severe restrictions that included a ban on tokens for the train ride and limiting the number of passengers in each coach.

As per the latest guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under Unlock-4, the Delhi Metro will be resuming its services for public from September 7 onwards in a calibrated manner," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said in a statement.

However, a detailed SOP on the metro's functioning and its usage by the general public will be shared by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the next few days, the officials said.

The DMRC had last week said it is prepared to resume operations whenever directed by the government.

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 1,954 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the city's highest single-day spike here in August till date, taking the tally to over 1.71 lakh, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 4,404, authorities said. This is the highest number of cases in the last nearly 50 days.

Fifteen fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued new guidelines on Saturday for opening up more activities in areas outside the Containment Zones. In Unlock 4, which will come into effect from September 1, the process of phased re-opening of activities has been extended further.

The new guidelines are based on feedback received from states and UTs and extensive consultations held with related Central Ministries and Departments, the ministry said in it press release.