Metro service in Indian capital fully resumes

Metro rail services in the Indian capital of New Delhi Saturday morning resumed fully after remaining shut for over five months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

All corridors of the Metro network are now operational on all routes and the timing of services will be available as per the pre-COVID-19 schedule of 6:00 am (local time) to 11: 00 pm (local time).

"With the resumption of service on the Airport Express Line, all lines of the Delhi Metro network are now open! Remember to follow the guidelines when traveling," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in a brief statement said.

Authorities are screening passengers and let them inside stations only after checking body temperature and sanitising their hands and luggage.

The security had been increased outside stations to manage the large crowd.

Metro services in different Indian cities including Delhi partially resumed on Monday.

The Metro services were shut on March 22 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Ahead of allowing the resumption of Metro services, the federal home ministry issued guidelines urging passengers to wear face masks and maintain social distance.

India is in the grip of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the cases are increasing with each passing day.

On Saturday the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 4,659,984 including 77,472 deaths.

During the past 24 hours, 97,570 new COVID-19 cases and 1,201 related deaths were recorded in the country.

Globally India is the second worst-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic.