Delhi will need 80,000 hospital beds by July for Covid patients: Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal says will follow centre's order overriding his decision to reserve hospitals for Delhi residents.

Delhi would need 80,000 hospital beds more by the end of July as coronavirus cases rising rapidly in the city, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. “Numbers show that coronavirus is going to spread rapidly in Delhi. By June 15, there might be 42,000 cases in Delhi and by July-end 500,000,” he said in a televised statement.

Kejriwal said his government will follow the central government’s decision overriding his order that Delhi government hospitals would be reserved for residents of the city. "We are not debating, or fighting over anything. We will totally stick to the decision taken by the L-G,” he said, referring to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

"In the past one week, Delhi hospitals have admitted 1,900 people and 4,200 beds are still available…by July 31, 80,000 beds will be required in Delhi." "It is a challenge, daunting even, but we will do our best to meet the medical needs of all,” he said. Kejriwal said medical tests found he didn’t have coronavirus after he fell unwell on Wednesday.