Delhi borders with UP and Haryana will open from tomorrow — here are all the new guidelines announced by Arvind Kejriwal

• Delhi borders will be open from Monday, June 8, alongside malls and restaurants, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
• However, state and private hospitals — not those run by the central government like AIIMS — will only treat patients from the national capital region (NCR).
• The ‘special corona fee’ on liquor within the city has also been removed but will be subject to a higher VAT charge.

Delhi’s borders are set to open from Monday, announced Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during today’s press conference. The borders remained closed all of last week even though Unlock 1.0 was under effect.

The sealed borders restricted the interstate movement of non-Delhi residents, only permitting essential services to come through.

"We sealed the borders because we felt if opened up the borders, patients from all over the country would flood in for treatment in Delhi's hospitals and they may not have been able to handle the sudden influx," said Kejriwal.

As a part of the relaxations being implemented in the coming week, the cap on how many people can travel at a time in autos, e-rickshaws and Gramin Seva vehicles have also been lifted. There will also be no restriction on the number of people travelling in private cars, and two-wheelers will also be allowed to carry pillion riders.

Delhi borders are openings but hospitals are not open to all
The state borders have been opened up under the condition that state and private hospitals within the city will only cater to people from the national capital region (NCR).


“A five-member committee assessed the situation and found that by the end of June, we will be needing around 15,000 beds to treat infected patients. There are around 10,000 beds each in Delhi government and Centre-run hospitals. The Cabinet has decided that beds in Delhi government hospitals should be reserved only for people of Delhi,” he said.

However, government hospitals that fall under the Union Government — like AIIMS and Safdarjung — will be open to all.

What else will be open, and what will be shut in Delhi starting June 8
Religious places, malls and restaurants will also be open starting Monday, June 8. However, people visiting and operating these places will have to adhere by the guidelines of social distancing and wearing masks are per the central government's notification.

Meanwhile, hotels and banquets halls will remain closed as per the central government’s guidelines. “We may need hotels and banquet halls to place beds and to attach them with hospitals as cases have been rising in Delhi,” he said.


The ‘special corona fee’ on liquor for 70% has also been lifted. However, the Value Added Tax (VAT) on all categories of alcoholic beverages has been increased from the previous 20% to 25%.

"Just because new relaxations have been introduced during the lockdown does not mean that coronavirus has been vanquished," said Kejriwal asking Delhites to continue abide by the three principles of the fight against coronavirus — social distancing, wearing a mask and washing hands.

"You are not doing anyone else a favour by wearing a mask. You are only saving yourself. If you exercise caution, you can save yourself from coronavirus," he added asking senior citizens to be especially careful.

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