NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, MARCH 27
The Gujarat government on Friday informed that there has been no positive case reported the state during the past 12 hours. The total active cases in the State remained at 44, while the State government has completed screening of 3.5 crores out of about 6 crore population in the State for a possible fever or respiratory infection.
Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary, Health, Government of Gujarat, informed that a total of 11 samples were tested on Thursday, of which none were positive.
“Over 10,000 family health workers are conducting door-to-door survey across the State and so far we have covered a population of 3.57 crore people in the State for any indication of infection,” Ravi stated.
The screening has revealed that 37,885 people travelled intra-state, while 8,265 people have an international travel history during the past one month. A total of 118 people have shown signs of ailment, therefore they have been kept under surveillance.
Govt launches app to track home-quarantined persons
The Gujarat government on Friday launched a mobile application that can monitor the movement of those who have been asked to follow home quarantine for suspected exposure to coronavirus. The Geographic Information System (GIS)-based app was launched in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, and Rajkot, Jayanti Ravi said.
The Municipal Corporation of Surat is already using the application to keep track of 3,600 home-quarantined people in the city, she added.
“Apart from GIS mapping, the app is equipped with ‘Geo-Fencing’ to alert the authorities if the person moves away from a specific area. It will help us track the movements of around 20,000 persons who are under home quarantine,” she said.
Notably, the Gujarat police have so far lodged complaints against 298 persons for violating home quarantine.
Around 3,600 home-quarantined persons in Surat have been asked to install “SMC COVID-19 Tracker” on their smartphones, municipal commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said.
“The app helps us track and collect the latest information about people who are home-quarantined. It has also helped us monitor their health,” he said.
After installing the app, the user is required to declare his or her current location and travel history.
Then every hour the user is required to push a button called “Send Location” to update their whereabouts. If the user is found to have moved out of the house or the specified area, he or she is sent to institutional quarantine.
Users also have to fill up a simple form twice a day, giving information about symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing.
They also have to upload the latest selfies, so that doctors can assess them remotely.
Medical College Dean among 100 quarantined as wife tests positive
A college dean’s wife, who tested positive for coronavirus works as a pathologist at some other hospital and may have got infected during her work, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said.
Over 100 people, including the dean, doctors and health staff of a medical college and hospital here, have been quarantined after the dean’s wife tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Friday.
The woman, 55, had tested positive on Thursday, they said.
Rs 50 Lakh Insurance Cover For Doctors, Healthcare Workers Fighting Coronavirus: FM Nirmala Sitharaman https://t.co/v4ZsMZQitC
via NaMo App pic.twitter.com/l0Vf14ITql— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) March 27, 2020
The medical college and hospital is run by the Gujarat Medical and Education Research Society (GMERS) of the state government.
“The college dean’s wife, who tested positive for coronavirus yesterday, works as a pathologist at some other hospital and may have got infected during her work,” Deputy Commissioner of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Om Prakash, said.
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1243378573898952705?s=20
“There are two other possibilities. On March 15, some of her relatives from Mumbai had visited the family. That could have led to the infection. We also learned that her daughter-in-law had returned from Singapore and Thailand last month,” he said.
She was hospitalised after her test reports confirmed her infection, Prakash added.
However, her husband is healthy and has not shown any specific symptoms of coronavirus infection so far, the official, who handles the health operations of the civic body, said.
“The college dean is healthy and has been quarantined. As a precautionary measure, we have also quarantined over 100 people, who had come in contact with the couple, including their relatives, doctors, and members of the college staff,” Prakash said.
Travel and face police action, Gujarat warns migrants
The Gujarat government on Friday said migrant labourers would be given food and accommodation but won’t be allowed to travel to their villages during the 21-day lockdown in force to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, an official said.
The lockdown has left several daily-wagers without jobs and they have been seen moving on foot to their villages, in the absence of public transport, to tide over the resultant cash crunch.
“It has been decided that no migrant labourer will be allowed to leave on foot. District administrations have been asked to make arrangements for their food and accommodation. A special number – 1077 – has been set up for migrant workers to contact for help,” Ashwini Kumar, secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office told reporters here.
Valsad Collector C R Kharsan said police cases will be filed against migrant workers and their employers if they are found travelling to their villages.
“Employers or contractors who have employed migrant labourers will have to provide 21 days salary and food to them. If they fail, then migrant workers can contact 1077 helpline. But if anybody tries to travel to their villages, then a police case will be filed against such persons and their employers,” Kharsan said.
Secretary in CMO Kumar said earlier, considering the humanitarianism aspect, the chief minister had allowed workers to leave by state transport and private buses, but that has been stopped and they would have to stay where they are present.
“Government had deployed around 150 state transport and 500 private buses to take daily wage workers to Rajasthan and tribal areas of Gujarat in the last two days,” he said.
He added that the biometric system in place at fair price shops will not be used during April to stall the spread of the coronavirus.
દાહોદ PSI શ્રી પી.કે.જાદવના મોટાભાઈનું 24/3/2020ના રોજ અમદાવાદ ખાતે અવસાન થતા, મોટાભાઈના અંતિમ સંસ્કારની વિધિ પૂર્ણ કરી પરિવારને સાંત્વના આપી અમદાવાદથી તુરંત દાહોદ આવી કોરોના સામેની લડાઈમાં ફરજ પર જોડાઈ ગયા.
મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી એ ટેલિફોનિક વાત કરી PSI શ્રી ની કામગીરીની સરાહના કરી pic.twitter.com/DKlctP9lXh
— Gujarat Police (@GujaratPolice) March 26, 2020
Transport arranged for 700 migrant workers: DyCM
અમદાવાદ થી રાજસ્થાન ચાલતા જતા 700 જેટલા શ્રમિકોને જોઈ માન. નાયબ મુખ્યમંત્રીશ્રી નીતિનભાઈ પટેલે તરત જ માન.ગૃહમંત્રીશ્રી પ્રદીપસિંહ જાડેજા તથા ઉચ્ચ અધિકારીઓને સ્થળ પર બોલાવી તેમની સાથે જરૂરી પરામર્શ કરીને શ્રમિકોને જમવાની તેમજ વતન પહોચાડવા માટે બસોની વ્યવસ્થા કરી આપી. pic.twitter.com/CBZg9dXdYb
— Nitin Patel (Modi ka Parivar) (@Nitinbhai_Patel) March 26, 2020
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Thursday that he arranged vehicles for around 700 migrant labourers who had left the city for Rajasthan on foot amid lockdown on account of coronavirus.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, on the other hand, urged migrant workers not to leave and assured that arrangement will be made to provide them food and accommodation.
Hundreds of labourers from the neighbouring state were seen walking home in the last two days as the lockdown kicked in and they had no work.
The Rajasthan border is around 225 km from here.
“Deputy chief minister yesterday night on the highway came across a group of 700 migrant workers who were walking back to their native villages in Rajasthan from Ahmedabad,” said Patel’s Twitter handle.
“He called upon officials and minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja to the spot on the highway, made arrangements for their food and also arranged vehicles so that they can be transported up to Rajasthan border,” it added.
Migrant workers have no option but to return to their home states as they can not even find food here with hotels closed. Most of them are daily wage workers and cannot afford to pay house rent too when there is no work.
“We have decided to walk to our villages because if we stay here we will die of hunger,” said one labourer.
“No hotels or shops are open. A few outlets which sell food, one roti costs Rs 50. We can not afford it,” he said.
