9 PM to 6 AM curfew in Ahmedabad from Friday as COVID-19 cases soar

The Ahmedabad administration has imposed an indefinite night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am in view of a rise in COVID-19 cases. The curfew will be effective from Friday (November 20) onwards.

While the city’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 46,022 till Wednesday, the number of micro containment areas increased to 100 after 14 more were added on the same day.

Additional chief secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta, appointed on special duty for COVID-19 in Ahmedabad attributed the rise in cases to the festive season.

Related news: A COVID vaccine will be ready in 2-3 months: Health minister

Gupta said at least 40 per cent beds in hospitals are still available for COVID-19 patients.

“In Ahmedabad, we have allotted 7,279 beds at seven government and 76 private hospitals for COVID-19 patients. Of these, 2,848 beds, or 40 per cent are still available,” Gupta said in a statement.

He said at least 2,347 beds are available in government hospitals while 502 beds are available in private hospitals.

Gupta said at least 25,000 ‘corona warriors’ including doctors and paramedics have been deployed to handle the situation.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has set up 200 centres across the city to conduct free testing.

Related news: After HC rap over COVID, Delhi gets strict: ₹2K fine for not wearing mask

Apart from locals, around 500 COVID-19 patients from other districts and neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are being treated in Ahmedabad hospitals.

Gujarat recorded 1,281 fresh cases on Wednesday, which took its COVID-19 tally to 1,91,642, while the death toll stands at 3,823.