Published 20:27 IST, November 20th 2020
Gujarat govt imposes 3-day curfew in Ahmedabad till Monday amid rising COVID cases
Gujarat government on Friday imposed a weekend curfew in Ahmedabad from 9 PM of Nov 20 to 6 AM on Nov 23, Night curfew imposed in Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara
In a bid to curb resurging Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, the Gujarat government on Friday imposed a weekend curfew in Ahmedabad from 9 PM of Nov 20 to 6 AM on Nov 23. Addressing the media, Deputy CM Nitin Patel said that night curfew will also be imposed in Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara between 9 PM and 6 AM, starting November 21. As of date, Gujarat has reported 1,92,982 cases - of which 12,677 are active, 1,76,475 recoveries and 3830 fatalities.
Gujarat imposes 3-day curfew
Ahemdabad's COVID crisis
State authorities have claimed that the COVID-19 situation in Ahmedabad was ‘under control’ till 10 days before Diwali. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officials have said that massive overcrowding were seen in market areas for 'Diwali shopping' a week before the festival - on November 11. AMC had imposed a 10 PM to 6 AM curfew order on shopping areas and eateries, due to overcrowding, which was relaxed till midnight citing ‘ the festival season’.
Moreover, Ahmedabad, like most metros like Delhi, Mumbai saw a drop in COVID-19 testing during Diwali week. As per trends, Ahmedabad which was averaging between 160-198 cases daily, reported 210 cases on November 16 and 230 cases on November 19. After AMC officials held a review meeting, the civic body stepped up measures by increasing bed capacity in five government-run Covid hospitals from 2,800 to over 3,250 and from 2,700 to 4,000 in private hospitals.
On Wednesday, Ahmedabad reported 220 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking its tally to 46,022, the state health department said. The number of micro containment areas in the city also saw a rise with 14 such areas added to the list, taking the total to 100, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said. The highest number of active cases are in the city's western zone (461) followed by north-west zone (457) and south zone (439), the AMC said.
Lockdown denied
Throughout the week, various state officials, including CM Vijay Rupani, denied reports of imposing a lockdown, claiming such news as 'fake', 'baseless', and misleading. The government also refuted claims of bed shortage, inspite of the Centre rushing high-level teams to districts of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Manipur to support these states’ efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, and efficient clinical management of coronavirus positive cases. On Thursday, the govt announced that a night curfew will be imposed in Ahmedabad till the 'Coronavirus situation is controlled'.
Updated 20:27 IST, November 20th 2020