New Delhi Municipal Council seals headquarters; 7 NDMC staff tested Covid positive so far

As the Coronavirus cases in Delhi crossed 15,000, on Thursday, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) sealed its headquarter building in Central Delhi after a senior employee tested positive for the virus. With this, the total number of employees infected with the novel coronavirus within the NDMC reached 7.

"A Joint Director level employee has been found positive for COVID-19. Three more employees were found yesterday. Contact tracing is being done by district authorities as per protocol. The building has been sealed. A disinfection drive will be carried out," a senior NDMC official said. "Meanwhile, all employees will be working from home till building premises completely sanitised and reopened," the official added.

Earlier, three employees of the NDMC had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, prompting the civic body to seal a floor of its headquarters in Lutyen's Delhi and a section of another building housing its office in Gole Market. Three others including a sanitation worker and engineer, had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before. Last week, a doctor at an NDMC dispensary had tested positive for COVID-19, following which the premises of the health facility was sealed.

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Covid-19 in Delhi

The national capital on Wednesday recorded 792 fresh coronavirus cases, the steepest rise in a day so far, taking the overall COVID-19 infections to 15,257, while the death toll climbed to 303, authorities said. Five more localities were declared as coronavirus containment zones on Wednesday, taking the total number of such zones to 96 in the national capital. 

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Delhi relaxes lockdown 

According to revised guidelines for Delhi, shops in markets have been opened on an odd-even basis buses are running with only 20 passengers, while Metro services, schools, colleges, cinema halls, and saloons stay shut. Delhi has also mandated all government employees must join office and has also allowed the opening of all private companies. Kejriwal had stated that his administration has used the lockdown period to prepare the healthcare system if in case the number of Coronavirus cases rises, but it is time to relax restrictions to 'some extent.'

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