NEW DELHI, Dec 29: A virtual Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting held under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Anil Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and experts on Wednesday decided to 'wait and see' for some more time before clamping harsh restrictions on business activities in the Capital that push the economy deeper in the doldrums, simply relying on the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) as there has not been any alarming situation of a concomitant surge in serious cases of hospitalisations due to covid or Omicron in Delhi.

The Yellow Alert will stay put till the next meeting which will be held when there is any uptick in hospital admissions of serious cases of covid or Omicron. If the current covid situation continues to be less threatening, the parameters of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) prepared in the background of the April calamity itself may require to be redefined. It is to be seen in the coming days if the overhanging threat of an elusive third wave turns real or peters out! Or may stay on just like an Indian flu!

On Wednesday there were 923 cases which is an 86% jump from Tuesday's and the highest since May 30. The TPR climbed to 1.29 %. But no mortality was reported. There were 73 new Omicron cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 238. On Tuesday there were 496 cases and the TPR was 0.89% with one fatality. However, so far there were no reports of oxygenated bed occupancy in the recent past. The TPR was 0.55% on Sunday and 0.68% on Monday, enforcing the Yellow Alert. The total deaths so far in Delhi was 25,107 and the case tally 14,45,102.

It was reported that the DDMA sounded a Yellow Alert on Tuesday in the Capital in accordance with one of the three conditions stipulated in the GRAP Level-I being fulfilled, although there was no order issued clamping the restrictions. (On two consecutive days - Sunday and Monday - the TPR was above 0.5% ). The schools and other educational institutions were closed on Wednesday and the Metro ran at 50% capacity. Shops and malls open on an odd-even plan, night curfew which was in place already under a Government order gets extended to 10 pm to 5 am instead of 11 pm to 5 am under the GRAP. Hotels are open but restaurants and bars operate at 50 per cent capacity (SEE: What is shut and what is open: Level I to Level IV)

Under any one of two other conditions too Yellow Alert falls in place: Cumulative daily positive cases (seven-day rolling average) crossing 1,500 or the average oxygenated bed occupancy (seven-day average) is above 500.

“We called upon all stakeholders for collective and concerted efforts to deal with the pandemic without lowering the guard,” Baijal tweeted. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyender Jain, Dr VK Paul of NITI Aayog, Delhi Chief Secretary, AIIMS Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria and other senior officials were also present at the DDMA meeting.

The traders in Delhi have suggested that the colour code of the GRAP be changed to make all the three conditions of TPR, fresh cases and oxygen bed occupancy being met simultaneously to enforce the restrictions, rather than imposing curbs even when just one condition is fufilled. Till now in the new wave Delhi has not reported the stipulated 1,500 daily cases or 500 oxygen bed occupancy warranting the curbs. The Yellow Alert has been enforced based on TPR only, Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) chairman Brijesh Goyal said.

Covid cases surge in Mumbai

Meanwhile, there has been a sudden spurt in covid and Omicron cases in several other States too. There were 2,510 cases on Wednesday in Mumbai city alone, that is an 82% jump over Tuesday's. There were 20 deaths in Maharashtra in the last 24 hours. All public places will be shut on Decenber 31. December 31. Gatherings of over five people have been barred between 9 pm and 6 am in the State. All air passengers arriving from the UAE will have to undergo a 7-day mandatory home quarantine and also undergo RT-PCR test. Since last week the rule is in force for those coming from Dubai also.

Uttar Pradesh has reimposed night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am from December 25. Gatherings of over 200 people are also banned. Kerala will have night curfew from December 30 to January 2 in order to curb gatherings on New Year's Eve. Karnataka has a 10-day night curfew since Monday. In Assam the curfew is from 11:30 pm to 6 am. Night curfew is also in force in Gujarat, Haryana and Odisha.