NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, MARCH 22
A 69-year-old man who had tested positive for coronavirus died in a Surat hospital on Sunday. This is the first casualty of coronavirus in the state, according to a statement from the Health and Family Welfare Department of Gujarat issued on Sunday.
Four new COVID-19 cases were found in Gujarat, taking the total number of those infected with it to 18 in the State, officials said. Of the four new cases, two each were reported from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, they said.
“The total number of cases of coronavirus has risen to 18 in Gujarat,” Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told reporters.
A 69-year-old man who had tested positive for coronavirus died in a Surat hospital on Sunday, according to a statement from the Health and Family Welfare Department of Gujarat. The man was also diagnosed with co-morbid conditions and had other medical complications.
In a separate development, a 65-year-old woman died in a Vadodara Hospital but her test report for COVID-19 is awaited. She too had co-morbid conditions, a statement from the health department said.
The Gujarat government on Sunday extended partial lockdown of all shops, except those selling essential items and services, to capital Gandhinagar a day after ordering their closure till March 25 in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot.
To contain the spread of coronavirus, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced the closure of all shops-malls except those selling essential items in Gandhinagar as well after ordering this in four metros of Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Rajkot till March 25, said a release.
In these five cities, shops selling essential items like milk, vegetables, food items, medicines, medical equipment, as well as hospitals and laboratories, will remain open, while all others will remain closed till March 25.
It was also decided that government offices will operate with 50 per cent class III and IV employees working on a rotation basis till March 29, though the rule will not apply to employees working in essential services of local self-governance institutions.
In his message to the citizens on Sunday, CM Rupani said the decision has been taken to ensure people do not come out of their houses without any emergency.
“For three days, we need not come out without an emergency (in five cities). If people maintain this, we can come out of this very serious situation,” he said, adding that factories should also be closed for these four days so that people do not have to go out for work.
“Once cities are secured, the state will be secured. Hence, I appeal to the people to support us. Milk, vegetable store, financial services, banking, etc. will continue to operate,” he said.
Rupani said 4,271 people are under self-isolation across the state, and the government has started 31 quarantine homes for people who have returned from abroad or those who were in contact with such people.
“The fact is that we are going into the second and third stages (of coronavirus spread). So far in Gujarat, most of the cases are of people coming back from abroad. But if social contacts expand, the number (of positive cases) will increase, and this is a matter of concern. Hence, we need to be cautious,” he said.
The government is going to start infection isolation hospitals for positive cases in cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara, he said.
“State government and urban development authorities have started 631 quarantine homes. People who have come from abroad or those who came in contact with them can either go for self-quarantine or in these homes,” he said.
He also asked for the closure of factories in GIDC for a few days so that workers do not have to travel and gather in groups.
Decontamination process by firebrigade in Ahmedabad
Meanwhile, Firefighters from Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services participated in a decontamination process with high pressure mist at public places during a one-day nationwide Janata (civil) curfew imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Nehrunagar area of Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Janta Curfew gets overwhelming response in the state
The ‘Janta curfew’ call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a good response in Gujarat on Sunday as the entire state was in a self-imposed lockdown to fight the coronavirus.
Streets were empty and shops and business establishments remained shut in the state. Roads, railway stations and airports in the state’s four major cities – Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot – wore a deserted look on Sunday.
People stayed indoors and hardly anybody was seen emerging from residential societies in Ahmedabad. All major roads in Ahmedabad, like the SG Highway and SP Ring Road, were empty, as was the Kalupur fruit market which is usually crowded in the mornings and evenings.
Public transport services, including buses of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), private buses, local civic-run buses and services of the Bus Rapid Transit System (in Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot) remain closed.
Unique way of appreciating the caregivers on board Indian Coast Guard Ship at Porbandar
Video Courtesy: PIB (DEFENCE)
