NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, MARCH 24
The total coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 33 after the state reported two new cases, according to state principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi.
Ravi also stated that as there is local transmission reported in some cases, the State has initiated an extensive door-to-door survey to contact individuals to check the presence of the virus.
“Over 10 lakh people have been surveyed to check the presence of the virus. Also, we have obtained passenger list of international travellers and those travelled through domestic airports and have Gujarat as their destination. All these people are being surveyed,” she said.
સી.એમ.ડેશબોર્ડના કમાન્ડ કંટ્રોલ સેન્ટર પરથી અમદાવાદ, સુરત, રાજકોટ, વડોદરાના કોરોના અસરગ્રસ્ત દર્દીઓ સાથે વીડિયો સંવાદ કરીને સરકાર તરફથી તમામ સહાયની ખાતરી આપી હતી.#IndiaFightsCorona#GujaratFightsCovid19 pic.twitter.com/NFh7e6N9Nb
— Vijay Rupani (Modi Ka Parivar) (@vijayrupanibjp) March 24, 2020
The Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel will conduct a daily meeting with a high-powered committee to oversee the implementation of the measures taken by the government.
The Director-General of Police, Gujarat Shivanand Jha late on Monday announced state-wide lock-down starting from midnight of Monday till March 31.
Earlier Municipal Corporation areas of Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Gandhinagar and Kutch district were put under lock-down with positive cases being reported from these centers.
Jha had also informed that the State will deploy State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) apart from the State Police force to effectively implement the lockdown. He also mentioned that additionally four companies of Rapid Action Force have been requested and will be arranged soon.
The state is also surveying 27,000 people who have recent travel history, the official said. To enforce social distancing, the Gujarat government has decided to put the entire state under lockdown till March 31, but essential services will be out of its purview.
Gujarat has also sealed its borders with the neighbouring states.
Till now, the entire Kutch district and five major cities – Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gandhinagar – were under lockdown to stop the spread of the virus.
The district collectors have been asked to identify and prepare one government and one private hospital, each with 50 beds, in their respective regions so that they can be utilised in case of any future emergency.
Also, four hospitals, exclusively to treat coronavirus patients, will be set up in those four cities soon.
The state has so far reported one death – a 67-year- old man from Surat who succumbed to the infection on Sunday. He was suffering from ailments like kidney failure and asthma, officials had said.
In neighbouring state of Maharashtra, the total coronavirus cases rose to 101. The COVID-19 disease has claimed two lives in the state so far.
