The Delhi government announced new restrictions Tuesday, including the closure of all private offices and suspension of dine-in services at restaurants and bars, amid a rise in Covid-19 cases fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
On Tuesday, the Indian capital recorded 21,259 new cases according to the state's government — almost 288% higher than the figure reported a week earlier on January 4.
“It has been observed that numbers of Covid-19 cases (including the cases of Omicron variant) have been rapidly increasing over the last few days & positivity rate has crossed 23 percent," the Delhi government order read. "Therefore, it has been felt necessary that some more additional restrictions are required to be imposed in Delhi to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus, including the highly contagious and transmissible Omicron variant.”
Delhi continues to impose a weekend and night curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., during which all establishments are closed, except for essential services. Schools and colleges are shut until further notice.
Meanwhile, India's financial capital, Mumbai, reported a dip in its daily Covid-19 cases, with the city recording 11,647 cases Tuesday, a decline from the 19,474 cases found Sunday.
Nationwide, India registered a total of 194,720 new cases on Wednesday, bringing its total since the pandemic began to just over 36 million, according to the Health Ministry.