What is colour-coded plan to combat Covid-19 in Delhi?
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has given its nod to a colour-coded graded response action plan, aimed at controlling a probable third wave of the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. In this plan, the shopping malls and other types of shops that host non-essential items in the national capital will come under the ambit of an odd-even system when the alert level shoots up to Yellow in the city. Today, at the DDMA meeting the Graded Response Action was passed. Now, do doubt will remain about when the lockdown will be imposed, and when it will be lifted, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi on Friday, adding that discussions on Delta plus variant of Covid-19 also took place at the meeting and that the Delhi government will take every necessary step to stop it from spreading in the city. The colour-coded plan has four alerts  Yellow, Amber, Orange and Red  which will be issued based on the severity of the Covid-19 situation in the national capital. Here are the details of each alert and what you need to know about them:  Yellow  1. This alert will be issued when the citys positivity rate remains more than 0.5% for two consecutive days, or overall new positive cases for seven days reaches the 1,500-mark, or the average occupancy for oxygen beds in hospitals stays at 500 for a week. 2. With this alert, market shops and shopping malls related to non-essential items will be permitted to stay open between 10am and 8pm as per the odd-even rule. One weekly market will be allowed to function per municipal zone. 3. Construction activities, manufacturing agencies and industrial set-ups can operate. Amber  1. This alert will be issued when the national capitals positivity rate stays over 1% for two successive days, or 3,500 new positive cases are recorded in a week, or the average oxygen bed occupancy stays more than the 700-mark for a week. 2. After the issuance of this alert, market shops and shopping malls can operate between 10am and 6pm on the basis of odd-even rule. One weekly market can operate per municipal zone at 50% vendor capacity. 3. Construction activities, industrial set-ups and manufacturing agencies can function. Orange  1. This alert will be launched when the citys Covid-19-positivity rate goes over 2% for two consecutive days, or 9,000 overall cases are reported for more than a week, or the average bed occupancy is more than the 1,000-mark for a week. 2. Only shops dealing with essential items and services will remain open. Stand-alone shops dealing with non-essential goods will remain open between 10am and 6pm as per the odd-even norm. 3. Only manufacturing agencies pertaining to essential items and defence goods will be permitted to function  4. Construction activities that do not require on-site labourers will not be allowed. 5. Shopping malls and weekly markets will remain closed. Red  1. This is considered to be the most severe level, which will be issued when the citys positivity stays over 5% for two successive days, or its overall new positive cases in a week touches the 16,000-mark, or the average oxygen bed occupancy stays 3,000 or more for a week. 2. Most economic activities under the orange alert, including construction activities with on-site labourers, and industrial set-ups of essential and defence goods and services, will be allowed. 3. Standalone shops dealing with non-essential goods and services will remain open. 4. Shopping malls and weekly markets will remain closed.