The Delhi government on Thursday banned the use of firecrackers in the national Capital as cases of coronavirus continued to soar in the city.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the decision on Thursday evening after a meeting with the Chief Secretary, District Magistrates and health officials. He said the decision has been taken in view of the spike in number of cases amid the festive season and rise in pollution levels.
He added that the government has moved an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s decision to put a stay on an order to increase Intensive Care Unit beds in private hospitals.
Earlier during the day, in a press briefing, Kejriwal had requested people of Delhi not to use firecrackers. On Wednesday, the chief minister had said that the recent surge in cases could be called the “third wave” of the infection. On Wednesday, in the highest ever single-day rise, Delhi reported 6,842 new cases of coronavirus in the city. It was the second day in a row that Delhi recorded more than 6,500 cases.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed displeasure over the Kejriwal government’s handling of the pandemic and remarked that the city could soon become the “corona capital” of the country, according to PTI.
According to NDTV, West Bengal, Sikkim, Rajasthan and Odisha have also banned firecrackers in view of the coronavirus cases in the respective states.
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