DDMA rules out lockdown: Restaurant dine-in service likely to be prohibited, take-away to continue

New Delhi, Jan 10: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Monday decided not to impose lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 and discussed further restrictions such as closing dine-in facility in restaurants and scaling down seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, officials said.

A DDMA meeting, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also discussed ways to strictly enforce existing restrictions to check rising cases of the coronavirus and its Omicron variant.

It was discussed in the DDMA meeting that restrictions imposed in Delhi should also be imposed in National Capital Territory Region to prevent rise in cases.

Currently, dine-in facility in restaurants is allowed to operate at 50 per cent of their seating capacity. The city buses and Metro trains are permitted to operate with 100 per cent seating capacity.

Kejriwal had on Sunday said the rapid speed at which the coronavirus was spreading in Delhi had been a matter of "deep concern", yet added there was no plan to impose lockdown.

There would be no lockdown if people wear masks, he had stated.