Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said 325 government schools in the national Capital will be turned into temporary kitchens that will offer free lunch and dinner to four lakh people amid the countrywide lockdown imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus.

“Around 500 people will be provided food in all these schools,” Kejriwal said at a press briefing on the situation in the Capital amid rising Covid-19 cases. “So far, we were providing food to 20,000 people daily, the number will now increase to around 2,00,000 from today [Friday]. The number will be doubled from tomorrow, we’ll be providing food to 4,00,000 people daily,” he added. “No one will sleep hungry in Delhi.”

Kejriwal assured the public there were adequate facilities available in Delhi to combat the situation if the number of Covid-19 cases start to rise by 100 in a day. “We are hoping that will not happen,” he said. “The lockdown is done in order to combat the coronavirus spread, but we have to be prepared.”

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A five-member doctors’ panel that was formed to chalk out strategies to mitigate a health disaster in case the number of Covid-19 patients rises exponentially, has submitted its report to the government, Kejriwal said.

“Irrespective of who is from which state, or has migrated from where, every person living in Delhi is our responsibility and each one of them will be taken care of. They are our own,” he added, referring to a large section of migrant workers employed in informal sectors who have lost their livelihoods.

A total of 39 people have tested positive for the Covid-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus, as of Friday, the chief minister said. “Out of these, 29 of them had come from outside and were kept in quarantine, while ten of these are cases of local transmission,” he added.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi also included a mohalla clinic doctor who was tested positive on Thursday. A total of 800 people who came in contact with the mohalla clinic doctor in North East Delhi have been quarantined for 14 days, said Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Thursday. Kejriwal, however, said that mohalla clinics will still remain open as the poor would otherwise be forced to go to hospitals that are far or more expensive. “They will take precautions,” he added.

Kejriwal on Thursday announced that all shops dealing with essential services will be open for 24 hours in the Capital to avoid the rush of people. He added that shop owners will not require any additional license or permit to operate.

Meanwhile, the toll in the coronavirus pandemic rose to 17 in India and the number of patients increased to 724, the Union Health Ministry said. This includes those who have recovered and 640 active cases. This includes those who have recovered and 640 active cases. Two deaths were also reported from Bhilwara city in Rajasthan but the health ministry is yet to confirm them. India entered the third day of its 21-day nationwide lockdown on Friday.