70% Delhi residents surveyed in favour of 2-week lockdown extension

May 9, 2021, New Delhi: The national capital of India is still in a ‘health emergency’ as COVID-19 cases continue to wreak havoc in the city, crumbling its weak health infrastructure. Delhi is reporting between 19,000-21,000 COVID-19 cases daily at a positivity rate ranging between 24-27% this week. Almost all who are seeking to get a COVID test, hospital bed, ICU bed or an oxygen concentrator or cylinder are struggling.

In a move to contain and mitigate the spread, the Government of Delhi had extended the ongoing lockdown in the national capital twice by one week. The ongoing lockdown, which was scheduled to conclude on May 3, was extended for another week after the demand was made by 75% of Delhi residents via the LocalCircles’ survey. The current 1-week period lockdown ends on May 10th. To understand what the people of Delhi want post-May 10th in regards to lockdown, LocalCircles conducted another survey that received more than 11,000 responses from residents across all 11 districts of Delhi. 66% of the respondents were men while 34% were women.

70% residents of Delhi in favour of extending lockdown/curfew by at least 2 weeks; 47% in favour of 3 weeks lockdown

Taking cognizance of the drastic increase in the daily COVID caseload, the survey sought residents of Delhi’s view if they support the further imposition of a lockdown/curfew in the city after May 10. In response 47% said “extend it by 3 weeks”, 23% said “extend it by 2 weeks”, and 15% said “extend it by 1 week”. There were only 9% voting for “end the lockdown/curfew and remove all restrictions”, while 4% said “end the lockdown/curfew and just impose night and weekend curfew”, and 2% couldn’t say. The findings of the poll indicate that 85% residents of Delhi are in favour of atleast 1-week lockdown extension, 70% favour extending it by at least 2 weeks, while 47% favour a 3-week lockdown. This question in the survey received 11,402 responses.

As Delhi faces its biggest ever health emergency, percentage of residents supporting lockdown grows by over 5-fold in one month

LocalCircles survey conducted on March 28 had indicated that only 16% of residents of Delhi were in favour of imposing the lockdown in the city. With an unprecedented rise in cases, shortages of oxygen, and people seeing their contacts in social networks struggling to find hospital and ICU beds, COVID management drugs, etc. and losing their lives in many cases have now largely understood the criticality of the situation. As a result, 59% on April 15 and 68% of residents of Delhi surveyed on April 23 were in favour of a lockdown/curfew for at least 1 week. However, there hasn’t been any respite as COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the city. Last week, the percentage of residents of Delhi voting in favour of lockdown was 75%, which has been risen to 85% this week. This suggests that the percentage of residents of Delhi supporting lockdown has increased by over 5-fold from late March to early May.

In summary, the majority of Delhi residents are in favour of extending the current lockdown which ends on May 10. This has the support of 70% residents of Delhi in favour of extending lockdown/curfew by at least 2 weeks, while 47% favour 3 weeks lockdown extension. The Government of Delhi must utilise this period and impose further lockdown to break the chain of COVID spread in the city and to ensure that there is enough flow of oxygen, ICU beds across hospitals etc., in the coming days vis-à-vis rebuild the capacity during the period.

In the LocalCircles survey dated April 30th, residents of Delhi had indicated that it is critical to minimize consumer inconvenience due to lockdowns and get the businesses that have been shut for 3 weeks to restart again. 84% residents of Delhi indicated that contactless home deliveries of all goods should be enabled so that business continuity can be maintained and consumers are no inconvenienced. Consumers had indicated that they in the next 3 months will need to buy Work for Home Products like mobile phones, computers, appliances, home furnishings, children books, equipment for online school classes, stationery, toys, etc. to keep children engaged at home during this lockdown period. Enabling of home delivery services will help them get such items of need which are currently not available.

LocalCircles has shared the findings of this survey with the Chief Minister, the Office of Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and the Chief Secretary so as they finalise the way forward on lockdown in Delhi, this collective public feedback is taken into account.

Survey Demographics

11,000+ responses were received from residents of Delhi located in all 11 districts of Delhi. 66% respondents were men while 34% respondents were women. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform and all participants were validated Delhi residents who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.