Curfew is currently in place in four metros of Gujarat during the night, but in view of the deteriorating condition of Covid-19 in the state, the government is considering imposing daytime curfew in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, paan shops, tea kettles, snacks, as well as street food outlets, which are found to be a major breach of social distance, may be banned altogether.
An official announcement has not been made yet, but a decision may be taken at a core committee meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday. Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary of the state Home Department Pankaj Kumar has said that the news of lockdown in the state again on social media is false and the government has no such consideration.
Chief Minister Rupani had earlier said in a conference with the Prime Minister that the number of Covid beds in other cities, including Ahmedabad, has been increased to 55,000, of which 82% or 45,000 beds are vacant. The number of Dhanvantari chariots for treatment in Covid affected areas has been increased to 1,700. More than 125 kiosks and 74 urban health centres in Ahmedabad are undergoing continuous corona tests, with an estimated 11 lakh tests so far, while around 70,000 tests are being conducted daily in the state. The number of people attending weddings and public ceremonies has also been reduced from 200 to 100.
The CM said that the state government has taken immediate steps to curb the transmission of corona, as part of which a weekend curfew was first implemented in Ahmedabad city with the increase in corona cases. In addition, night curfew has been imposed in Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot from 9 pm to 6 am, which will continue till the situation is brought under control. The number of weddings and public ceremonies in the state has also been reduced from 200 to 100, while 50 people have been allowed to attend funerals.
