This Article is From May 07, 2020

Delhi Up By 428 Coronavirus Cases, Highest In A Day. Total Over 5,500

After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Delhi has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Delhi Up By 428 Coronavirus Cases, Highest In A Day. Total Over 5,500

Coronavirus: Over the last 24 hours, 74 persons have recovered in Delhi, taking the total to 1,542.

New Delhi:

Delhi saw then biggest single day spike in coronavirus cases today -- 428 -- as the figure across the country crossed 50,000. The national capital, which passed the 5,000 mark yesterday, now stands at 5,532. After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Delhi has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Over the last 24 hours, 74 persons have recovered in the capital, taking the total to 1,542.

Another person has died, pushing the number of fatalities to 65. The deceased was a 31-year-old constable of the Delhi Police, who was asymptomatic till Monday. This was the first casualty of the Delhi Police in the virus.

The last big spike over 24 hours was reported on Sunday, when the national capital saw 427 new cases.

The updated figures from the health department came hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declared that the time has come "to re-open Delhi".

"We will have to be ready to live with coronavirus," the Chief Minister said at a press conference, announcing a series of relaxations in keeping with the Centre's guidelines.

The Chief Minister allowed standalone shops, private offices with 33 per cent workforce, self-employed people including domestic helps and technicians, to operate in non-hotspot zones.

He also allowed the opening of liquor shops --a rich source of revenue for the cash-strapped state. Since Monday, thousands have been seen gathered outside the liquor shops, defying all rules of social distancing.

The Chief Minister has declared that Delhi is "prepared in terms of hospitals and kits". "Even after complete lifting of lockdown, if a few cases increase, we are prepared to handle that as well," he told reporters on Sunday.

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