AHMEDABAD: The tally of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 17,217 on Monday with the addition of 423 new infections, while the toll increased to 1,063 after 25 more patients succumbed to the infection, 22 of them in Ahmedabad, the state health department said.
As many as 861 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals in Gujarat Monday, taking the number of recoveries to 10,780, it said.
The state now has 5,374 active cases, of which 65 patients are on ventilator, the health department said.
Ahmedabad reported 314 out of the 423 new cases, taking the total confirmed cases in the district to 12,494, the department said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Surat rose to 1,659, while in Vadodara it went up to 1,074 with 39 and 31 new cases, respectively, reported, in these two cities, it said.
Out of the 25 new deaths, Ahmedabad alone reported 22, while Surat reported two and Aravalli one, the department said.
As many as 2,16,258 samples have been tested so far in the state for coronavirus, the department said.
Out of 17 districts that reported new infections, 11 cases were detected in Gandhinagar and 6 in Mehsana, among others.
As many as 2,41,046 people are currently under quarantine, the department said.
Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 17,217, new cases 423, deaths 1,063, discharged 10,780, active cases 5,374, people tested so far 2,16,258.
Life returned to near normal in many parts of the state, notably in Ahmedabad, the state's worst coronavirus-hit district, as several restrictions were eased in the fifth phase of the lockdown that began on Monday.
Roads bustled with traffic as people came out in large numbers to visit markets, which are now open till 7 pm in all areas except in containment and micro-containment zones.
In Ahmedabad, a limited number of city buses began plying with 50 per cent seating capacity to maintain social distancing, while autorickshaws hit the roads for the first time in ten weeks, though the reduced number of passengers they have been permitted to ferry was a dampener.
"We stayed home for 70 days. We are thankful to the government for allowing us to operate our autorickshaws, but we have, unfortunately, not got any kind of financial support from the government. We are hardly getting any passengers now as we cannot carry people in the shuttle system because only a limited number is allowed," said an autorickshaw driver.
A bus station in Ranip area of Ahmedabad saw people gathering since early morning to catch intra-state transport buses, though the capacity was restricted and those boarding were first checked by conductors holding temperature guns.
The textile market in Surat, among the largest in the country, resumed business after it was sanitised earlier by civic authorities, with shops opening under an odd-even mechanism from 9 am to 4 pm.
"Work will begin only after transportation starts as a majority of materials go out of the market. We came here to check stock that had been lying unused for such a long time. The losses due to the lockdown has been very heavy, but we hope things pick up from here," said a shop owner.
Government offices opened on Monday with full staff strength, while the sizable numbers that came to the Assembly complex in Gandhinagar were allowed to enter only after being screened with thermal guns.
Face masks continued to be mandatory and police as well as civic officials were seen in large numbers to check if people were adhering to norms laid down to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.