In view of rising COVID-19 cases, the Gujarat government has imposed a night curfew in four metro cities - Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot till March 31. The night curfew will begin from March 17 and will be in place between 10 pm and 6 am.
The state government had imposed the night curfew in November 2020 and it was since then extended five times. The last curfew ended on March 15 after the fifth extension announced on February 26 for 15 days.Gujarat govt has decided to implement night curfew in four metros-Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat & Rajkot from 10 pm to 6 am between March 17 and March 31. Pre-night curfew system will be maintained in these four metros till March 16 from 12 am to 6 am: State Government
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2021
Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation also directed eateries, restaurants, and malls to close down at 10 pm in eight wards of the city. The city reported 205 coronavirus cases on March 15.
"Due to a high number of cases in these eight wards it is directed that restaurants, malls, show-rooms, tea stalls, namkeen stores, cloth stores, pan parlours, hair salons, spa, gyms, and clubs will have to close at 10 pm," it said.
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Besides, night food bazaars in Manek Chowk and Raipur will also have to be closed at 10 pm, it said.
Additionally, Gujarat Cricket Association and BCCI on March 15 announced that the remaining three T20 Internationals between India and England will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad without spectators due to rising COVID-19 cases.
The first two games at the world's largest cricket stadium had attracted more than 60,000 spectators, raising questions over the safety of the fans amid the pandemic.
Crowds had returned for international cricket matches in India during the preceding Test series barring the opening game which was played behind closed doors.
Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu continue to report a surge in COVID-19 daily cases, accounting for 78.41 percent of the new cases, the Union Health Ministry said.
The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 2,79,097 with 890 people being detected with the infection on March 15.
The recovery count in the state is 2,69,955, which is 96.72 percent of the caseload, and the death toll stands at 4,425. The state has 4,717 active cases of COVID-19.
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