On Saturday, a senior bureaucrat in Gujarat reportedly informed that about 700 ‘superspreaders’ had tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus in Ahmedabad, while conducting a screening of fruit and vegetable vendors and shopkeepers. Due to their potential of spreading the deadly pandemic to a large number of people, they have been referred to as ‘super spreaders.’
The Massive Screening
The screening of 35,000 people was conducted after the city administration shut down all shops, except dairy stores and pharmacies, on May 7. The shops selling essential items were issued health screening cards which became operational from May 15.
Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said, “This was a special drive that was undertaken in Ahmedabad to ensure containment of the spread of infection. To see that data remains transparent and accurate, this was declared today (after completion of the drive).”
According to Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Gupta, around 12,500 people were tested for the Coronavirus infection and 700 were diagnosed with the deadly virus and therefore isolated. He had appealed to people to buy items from vendors with valid health cards. Police Commissioner (Ahmedabad) Ashish Bhatia has also requested ‘minority communities’ to cooperate with law enforcement.
As of April 17, Gujarat has reported 10,988 live cases of the Chinese virus and 625 deaths. The city of Ahmedabad accounts for more than 8000 such cases. About 973 people had tested positive for the Coronavirus infection on Saturday.
Lockdown in Ahmedabad
Earlier, all shops except those providing milk and medicines were ordered to shut down in Ahmedabad in the wake of the rising cases of Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. The shops remained closed from 12 am on the 7th of May to 6 am on the 15th. The order was issued by the Commissioner of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The order stated that the extreme measures are being undertaken to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Shops selling fruit, vegetables, and groceries were also directed to be shut down.