More beds, curbs in Gujarat as Covid cases cross 2 lakh

Gujarat has added a lakh cases since September 3, in a span of 12 weeks. In this period, 829 patients have succumbed, as per official data. (Representational)

Covid-19 case tally in Gujarat crossed two lakh on Tuesday with 1,510 fresh cases and 16 deaths, of which 12 were reported from Ahmedabad city.

With Ahmedabad reporting 323 cases in a day, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) added 534 beds for Covid patients on Tuesday, mostly by requisitioning hotels as Covid care centres. The civic body also placed further restrictions on opening of parks and gardens to avoid crowds.

Three hotels and a Covid care centre located close to private hospitals were requisitioned as Covid care centres, adding 378 beds, and another 156 beds were added in private facilities with six more private hospitals being designated for Covid care.

A meeting of senior officials, including officer on special duty Rajiv Gupta, municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar and deputy municipal commissioners — on Tuesday decided to keep parks and gardens open in the city jurisdiction only from 7 am to 9 am in the morning and 5pm to 7 pm in the evening in order to discourage “unnecessary crowding and to control the spread of infection in the city”.

Additional chief secretary (home) Pankaj Kumar refuted messages circulating on social media about lockdown again in state as rumours and appealed to the people to not “create a scare”.

According to the civic body, hotels added for Covid care would be mostly for patients who do not need hospitalisation but do not have isolation facilities at home, and also for senior citizens under isolation who need a constant monitoring and supervision by doctors.

“This type of facility will bring down unnecessary admissions in Covid hospitals. At the same time, patients not requiring oxygen or ventilators can be treated with medicines and injections,” the AMC stated.

The hotels designated as Covid care centres include Aangan Banquet and hotel in Satellite (70 beds), Ginger Hotel on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway (100 beds), Rajdeep Hotel in Satellite (108 beds) and Covid Care Centre at Vaishnodevi Circle (100 beds).

As many as 39 Covid beds were added to three private designated hospitals while six new private hospitals were requisitioned as Covid hospitals. These include Advait Hospital in Bopal (20 beds), Shreeji ICU and Multispeciality Hospital in Saraspur (35), Sardar Hospital in Nikol (15 beds), Jyoti Multispeciality Hospital on Vastral road (23 beds), Aarna Medical Hospital in Bapunagar(14 beds), Athiti Hospital in Nikol (12 beds).

Over the past one week, the AMC announced 1,300 additional beds to the existing 7,500, thus making a total of 8,800 beds in government and private hospitals.

Of the 45 areas designated as micro-containment zones across Ahmedabad, one each were in Vastral and Nikol. Several areas in the neighbouring areas of Odhav were declared micro-containment zones, while six were declared in Gomtipur and Ramol.

AMC deputy municipal commissioner RK Mehta also tested positive for Covid, as confirmed by an official.

Surat district where over 250 cases are being reported each day since November 20, saw its first citizen, city mayor Dr Jagdish Patel, testing positive for Covid-19. Patel has isolated himself at home, while his family members have tested negative.

On Tuesday, 219 cases were reported in Surat city where three persons succumbed to the infection, taking the death toll in the city to 764 and total positive cases to 30,805.

Gujarat has added a lakh cases since September 3, in a span of 12 weeks. In this period, 829 patients have succumbed, as per official data.

Heavy vehicles barred in Ahmedabad city from 8 am to 9 pm

Ahmedabad: To control air pollution, heavy vehicles carrying goods or passengers have been barred from entering Ahmedabad city from 8 am to 9 pm, stated a notification issued by the Ahmedabad city police commissioner on Tuesday.

In the notification issued under section 33 (i) B, C of the Gujarat Police Act, city police commissioner Sanjay Srivastava barred the entry of all heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and heavy passenger vehicles (HPVs) in the city limits, in an effort to curb pollution as per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.

Ahmedabad city is under night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am till December 7 with exemptions to essential services, in view of the surging Covid-19 cases. Therefore, Tuesday’s order exempts vehicles carrying essential goods such as milk, vegetables, food items, petroleum/diesel from 9 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm. “The vehicles will be allowed to reach APMC in Sarkhej using Narol and Vishakha circle route, Jamalpur vegetable market using Narol-Chandola Talav-Behrampura intersection and Memco fruit market through Naroda Patiya-Memco using the intersection route,” read the order. ENS

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