Will Gujarat see fresh lockdown? No, says CM amid rise in COVID-19 cases
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday ruled out imposition of a fresh lockdown in the state despite a surge in the fresh COVID-19 cases.
Gujarat's overall tally of cases rose to 2,87,009 with the addition of 1,580 new infections on Sunday.
"As Chief Minister, I assure you that there will be no new lockdown," Rupani said in his Facebook Live address to people of the state.
He also appealed to citizens to not believe in rumours.
"The state government had to take steps like discontinuing offline education in schools and colleges, extending the hours of a night curfew, and imposing restrictions on hotels and restaurants in cities due to the rise in the number of cases."
"Now that the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing, we have once again taken a strict action. When the number of cases decreases, everything will go back to normal," the CM said.
Rupani said the government's concern is that people do not suffer due to the pandemic and that their jobs are not affected.
He also appealed to people to exercise caution and to adhere to COVID-19 norms.
"The government will not take steps that will adversely affect livelihood of the people. They should not lose patience," he said.
Rupani said the government was not interested in fining people for not wearing face masks.
"A fine of Rs 1,000 is collected from people for not wearing masks on the order of the Gujarat High Court," he said.
Rupani said people should follow norms like maintaining social distance, wearing masks and using sanitiser.
"(Eligible) People should get themselves vaccinated when their turn comes. They should not go out unnecessarily and avoid gatherings," he said.
The CM said the state is now conducting more number of COVID-19 tests.
"At the same time, adequate number of beds and essential medicines are being made available. The vaccination is also gathering pace," Rupani added.
The state's COVID-19 tally increased by 1,580 on Sunday to reach 2,87,009, while the toll rose by seven and the recovery count by 989, an official said.
The state's death toll stands at 4,450 and the number of people discharged is 2,75,238, or 95.90 per cent of the caseload, leaving it with 7,321 active cases, including 71 on ventilator support, he added.
"Surat accounted for 510 of the new cases, followed by 451 in Ahmedabad, 132 in Vadodara and 130 in Rajkot. Of the seven deaths recorded on Sunday, three took place in Ahmedabad, two in Surat and one each in Gandhinagar and Vadodara," the official informed.
A state government release said 2,16,439 beneficiaries wereadministered COVID-19 vaccines in Gujarat on Sunday, including 2,09,305 senior citizens and those above the age of 45 and suffering from comorbidities.
The number of people who have got the first dose of the vaccine in the state so far stood at 30,48,462, while this figure was 5,96,893 for the second dose, it said.
In the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, the COVID-19 tally rose to 3,455 with 13 new cases, while with two recoveries, the number of people discharged rose to 3,398.
There are now 55 active cases in the UT which has so far reported two deaths, officials said.
Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 2,87,009, new cases 1,580, death toll 4,450, discharged 2,75,238, active cases 7,321, people tested so far - figures not released.