NEW DELHI: On Monday, gyms and yoga institutes will reopen with 50% capacity — exactly 69 days after these facilities were closed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The ban on weddings in public places will be relaxed too.
However, though the number of fresh Covid-19 cases has dipped to a one-year low, the cap of 50% seating and no standing in public transport has not been relaxed to keep the pandemic under control.
The reopening of gyms and yoga institutes has come as a big relief for their owners and the thousands of people they employ.
Delhi Gym Association had been requesting Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for the past few weeks to allow them to open since some neighbouring states have already done so.
The owners of banquet halls were also urging for relief as the complete ban on ceremonies in public places had affected many people involved in the wedding industry.
Marriage ceremonies were allowed in either court or residence with not more than 20 people.
From Monday, weddings will be allowed in banquet halls, marriage halls and hotels with a ceiling of 50 people with strict Covid-appropriate behaviour.
A complete lockdown was imposed in Delhi on April 19 following the exponential rise in the number of Covid-19 cases and the positivity rate.
Since May 31, as both figures have been coming down, the gradual unlocking was initiated and bars were allowed last week to open from noon to 10pm with 50% seating capacity.
Public parks, gardens, golf clubs and outdoor yoga activities were also allowed.
Despite the gradual relaxation in economic activities, the prohibition remains on all educational institutions, cinemas and theatres, banquet halls (except for weddings), spas, auditoriums and assembly halls, business-to-business exhibitions, swimming pools, stadia and sports complexes, and all social, political, religious, festival, amusement parks, sports, entertainment, cultural and academic gatherings.
The stringent curbs on the number of passengers in public transport has led to commuters being compelled to wait for nearly an hour on average to enter busy Metro stations during peak hours; bus stops also remain crowded at rush hours.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had written to the divisional commissioner of Delhi, who is also the DDMA secretary, to allow standing passengers in its trains, sources said.
However, the restrictions remain as they were.
DMRC had said in the letter that the Metro system was designed to provide more standing capacity to carry large numbers of commuters during peak hours and, hence, the present cap allowed only a carrying capacity of 10-15%, sources pointed out.
DMRC also mentioned in its appeal that all government, PSUs, local bodies and private offices had been allowed to function and malls, markets etc.
were also open.
It argued that opening of most economic activities and workplaces and limited capacity on the Metro had led to large queues outside stations and longer waiting time, leading to regular complaints.
DDMA has asked the authorities to keep a close watch and supervision on the overall functioning of markets, market complexes, malls, restaurants and bars, weekly markets and other areas prone to draw crowds.
All stakeholders like market associations have been asked to ensure strict compliance of Covid-19 protocols.