Delhi CM Kejriwal justifies extended lockdown

He cites asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

20/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,NEW DELHI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday justified his decision to continue the lockdown imposed in the capital, pointing to the fact that all 186 patients who tested positive on Sunday were asymptomatic.

He said that of the 736 test results that came in on Saturday, 186 who tested positive showed no symptoms. This was 25% of the total test results. “They [the positive persons] didn’t know they had the corona [virus] and were roaming here and there with the corona [virus]. This is very dangerous,” he said.

Mr. Kejriwal, who on Saturday pointed to a clutch of cases in Jehangirpuri, said a volunteer who had been distributing food at a Delhi government centre had also tested positive. The government, he added, would be testing everyone who might have come in contact with this volunteer.

The issue of asymptomatic patients in the country also came up at the Union Health Ministry’s media briefing. “A very small percentage of those who are asymptomatic are testing positive, as the historical data across the world is showing. However, we have to be aware of this challenge. Our strategy is to monitor those who are asymptomatic and high-risk and test them. Those who are contacts and asymptomatic are advised to be in home quarantine and those at high risk ought to be in facility quarantine,” Ministry spokesman Lav Agarwal said.