The lieutenant governor also directed DMs and DCPs that anyone found roaming without e-pass or valid reason during the lockdown, imposed to check the spread of coronavirus, would be sent to district shelters set up by the administration.

The directions were issued at a high-level meeting which was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, DMs and DCPs via video-conferencing.

So far, 104 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Delhi.

According to the Union health ministry, the number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1500 in India today, while the death count rose to 35.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to backlist nearly 800 Indonesian members of Islamic outfit Tablighi Jamaat, which is under scanner for recently organising a religious congregation in Nizamuddin area of south Delhi and spreading coronavirus in the country.

According to reports, the Union Home Ministry has decided to blacklist these preachers from Indonesia for violating the visa rules during lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. These Indonesian preachers came to India on a tourist visa and participated in a three-day religious conference organised by Tablighi Jamaat in south Delhi this month.

They had participated in a three-day religious conference which was also attended by many people from across the country who later tested positive for COVID-19.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief arrived with his mother, father and wife at the sub-divisional magistrate’s office in Jamnagar House in the afternoon and left when it was dark because of a long queue of 66 candidates who had suddenly surfaced on the last day. Most of them were Independents.

Mr Kejriwal had missed filing his papers on Monday as he got held up by his own massive roadshow. He is contesting from the prestigious New Delhi Assembly constituency.

On Tuesday, 66 candidates showed up to file their nomination at the SDM’s office in Jamnagar House. Holding token no. 45, Mr Kejriwal tweeted: “Waiting to file my nomination. My token no is 45. There are many people here to file nomination papers. Am so glad so many people participating in democracy.”

However, the Chief Minister’s deputy Manish Sisodia tweeted, “BJP planted 45 people in the line before Arvind Kejriwal. The Election Commission is deliberately giving each candidate half-an-hour or one hour… even those whose papers are not complete or those who don’t have proposers.”

Mr Sisodia added, “BJP people, do whatever you want, you cannot stop Kejriwal from filing his nomination or from becoming Chief Minister for the third time. Your conspiracy will not succeed.”

One of the aspiring candidates, who claimed he had been betrayed by the AAP leader when he was part of the Anna Hazare anti-corruption campaign, said: “Kejriwal has no option but to stand in the queue like all of us. Let him also see what aam aadmi has to undergo in his day-to-day life in any government office.”

Kejriwal, who has twice won the constituency, will be facing first-timers from the BJP and the Congress in the upcoming February 8 elections.

The BJP has fielded its Delhi unit Yuva Morcha president Sunil Yadav, and the Congress has pitched its former student leader, Romesh Sabharwal.

Soon after the BJP named Yadav as its candidate from the New Delhi seat, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the saffron party had surrendered before the polls.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 494 at 4pm on Sunday, the highest since November 6, 2016, when it was 497.

 Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, leaves for his office on a bicycle, from his residence in Delhi. Delhi is under a heavy shroud of smog as the pollution have reached alarming levels. Earlier today, CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that he will carpool with Delhi Ministers to commute to office. 

The heavy smog caused a major disruption at Delhi airport as 37 flights were diverted to other airports due to low visibility, officials said.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal took to twitter to reply to pollution-related queries. Replying to a Delhi citizen on stubble burning in Punjab, Kejriwal says, “Pollution due to stubble burning is not in our hands though we are distributing masks to our Delhiites to cut its ill-effects on the health of our people.” He also appealed to the people to minimise local sources of pollution. 

On Sunday, the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality check, SAFAR, said the city’s overall AQI reached as high as 708 around 5 pm, which is 14 times the safe level of 0-50. AQI or Air Quality Index is the unit to measure pollution.

0-50 – Good.

51-100 – Satisfactory.

101-200 – Moderate.

201-300 – Poor.

301-400 – Very poor.

401-500 – Severe.

500 and above – Severe plus category.