The ongoing lockdown in the national capital has been extended by another week, with Delhi still showing a high positivity rate despite a marginal drop in the daily coronavirus figures.

Making the announcement at noon, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said: "Coronavirus still continues to wreak havoc in the city. Public opinion is that lockdown should increase. So the lockdown is being extended for one week".

However, Kejriwal the Delhi Govt will give concessions to courier service & self-employed people providing services -- including electricians, plumbers & water purifier repairs -- who would need an e-pass. Children's bookstores & electric fan shops are also exempted.

There is a 36% to 37% positivity rate, which was not there before, the CM said.

On Thursday, Delhi had recorded a positivity rate of 36.24% -- the highest since the pandemic reached. While it dropped to 32.27% last evening, the number of fatalities reached a record high of 357.

The number of cases, though, dropped from last week's 28,000-plus a day to over 24,000 -- a high caseload that has kept the city's hospitals at a breaking point, with a galloping crisis of  beds, drugs & oxygen.

The CM said that "While we have failed to deliver oxygen at some places, in other places we have succeeded... the situation should be under control in the coming few days".

Currently, though the Centre has increased Delhi's oxygen quota again from 480 to 490 metric tons, the access problems remain. "The requirement is 700 metric tons & what's reaching us is 330 to 335 metric tonnes only," he said.

To get ahead of the curve, the Delhi government has started a portal for oxygen management. This will record the status of supplies from the manufactures to the hospitals every two hours, he said.

Hospitals will have to give their consumption data in the last two hours & the supplier has to tell how much was supplied in that period, Mr Kejriwal explained.

"With this, the government will know where there is going to be a shortage & it can be corrected," he said. "This will let the government know where there is a shortfall & can be fixed accordingly," he added.

Apart from the central government, Delhi is trying to get help from every quarter, Mr Kejriwal said.

Mr Kejriwal added that "I have written a letter to all the Chief Ministers of the country yesterday. If you have any possibility of oxygen, then let us know. Negotiations have started with some states & I will tell you when any positive results will come".

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