Gujarat CM rules out lockdown amid spike in COVID-19 cases

Ahmedabad, Mar 21: 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 saidthe 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.