Curfew in New Delhi as India Covid cases surge

NEW DELHI, Jan 4: India is bracing for the third wave of coronavirus as its largest cities - the capital New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai - see a surge in cases.

India reported 58,097 cases on Wednesday, a six-fold rise in a week that experts say is fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Nearly a third of those infections came from Delhi and Mumbai.

Both cities have brought back curfews and other restrictions to halt the spread of the virus.

Dr NK Arora, head of India's vaccine task force, told NDTV on Monday that the third wave of the pandemic had already begun in the country, adding that the "whole wave seems to be driven by a new variant... Omicron".

The country has reported more than 2,000 Omicron cases - Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, is leading the tally (653), followed by Delhi (464).

Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain has said that 81% of Covid samples in the city tested positive for Omicron.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) - one of India's major hospitals - in Delhi has canceled winter leave for doctors, according to reports.

The rising infections are a somber reminder of the devastating second wave India faced in April and May - daily averages of about 400,000 cases at the peak of the crisis.

On Tuesday, authorities in Delhi imposed a weekend curfew, with all non-essential activity banned between Friday night and Monday morning. The capital last week closed gyms and cinemas, as well as imposed an overnight curfew in an effort to stem the spread.

The weekend curfew decision was announced hours after the city's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tested positive, saying he was isolated with mild symptoms.

Mr Kejriwal has been attending massive election rallies in other states, even as cases continue to rise in his city.

On Monday, he attended an event in Uttarakhand where many, including those sharing the stage with him, were seen without a mask.

Several other politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have held similar rallies in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in the past few weeks in which thousands - many without masks - have participated with little regard to social distancing.

The three states, along with Goa and Manipur, go to the polls in February and March.

BBC