Even as fruits, vegetables and grocery stores are set to open from Friday in hotspot Ahmedabad, 10 out of the 48 wards in the city have been categorised into containment zones, and wholesale markets in these areas will continue to remain shut until further orders.
Additional Chief Secretary Forests and Environment Dr Rajiv Kumar Gupta, who is overseeing Ahmedabad, said on Wednesday that the wholesale markets will continue to remain closed.
However, in order to ensure that residents get essential commodities, retail shops selling fruits and vegetables, grocery stores and flour mills in these areas will remain open between 8 am and 1 pm.
The areas that have been put under containment zones are in the walled city and eastern part of Ahmedabad.
Home deliveries will be banned in these areas. In other areas, digital payments have been made compulsory for home deliveries.
Ahmedabad continues to remain a concern for the authorities with 25 out of the 29 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours as of 5 pm on Wednesday were from the city. With this, death toll in the state has gone up to 566.
A total of 364 new cases were reported in Gujarat on Wednesday, and with this, the total number of COVID-19 positive patients in the state has gone up to 9,268. With 316 patients being discharged on Wednesday, the total number of patients, who have recovered and have been discharged in the state, has gone up to 3,562.
Principal Secretary Jayanti Ravi said that the recovery rate in the state is 38.42 per cent.
Allegations and clarification
After Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Wednesday levelled allegations against the Civil Hospital that Pravin Baridun, a leader from the Kharwa community from Porbandar, was missing after he was admitted in the Cancer Hospital in Ahmedabad, the state government was compelled to come out with an explanation.
Modhwadia had alleged that Baridun’s family had tried to trace him but they did not get any response from the authorities. He was suffering from cancer of the larynx.
Jayanti said that Baridun was admitted to the Cancer Hospital on May 4 and was taken to the COVID-19 designated hospital the next day after he developed breathing difficulties. His test returned negative.
The state government said that after he passed away on May 7 morning, the hospital authorities had been trying to contact his family on the phone numbers provided. However, they could not be reached. She said that the body was handed over to the family when they visited the hospital on Wednesday.
