Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (November 5) decided to ban firecrackers in the national capital after reviewing the COVID-19 situation ahead of Diwali. Taking to his Twitter handle, the Delhi CM mentioned, "Coronavirus cases have increased due to the festival season and pollution. It was decided to ban crackers in Delhi and ramp up medical infrastructure, among other measures." Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister appealed people to shun firecrackers for the safety of their kids and family. He said, "we will celebrate Diwali together and won't burst firecrackers in any condition. There will be a wonderful atmosphere and good vibes as two crore people will perform Laxmi Pujan. It will lead to well being in each household."
Addressing an online media briefing, he said he will be performing Lakshmi Puja at 7.39 pm on November 14, along with other Delhi Cabinet Ministers, which will be live-streamed, and appealed Delhiite to join in the Diwali celebrations by performing Lakshmi Puja at their homes.On Wednesday, the chief minister said that Delhi has been witnessing a third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, but added that the government is closely monitoring the situation and there is no need to panic. For the past few days, Delhi has reported a huge surge in its daily Covid-19 tally. 6,800 fresh cases and 51 more related fatalities were registered on Wednesday which pushed the overall tally to over 400,000. This was the second consecutive day when nearly 7,000 cases were reported in a span of 24 hours.