With increasing number of Chinese coronavirus cases in Gujarat, particularly Ahmedabad, the city administration has closed down two more bridges, Ambedkar Bridge and Sardar Bridge, over river Sabarmati for traffic movement. This brings the number of bridges closed to five. Previously, city administration had closed down Nehru Bridge, Dadhichi Bridge and Gandhi Bridge for traffic movement.
Sardar Bridge connects Paldi area to Jamalpur and a flyover there connects the area to the state transport bus terminus. Even during the 2002 riots which was one of the worst communal riots in the state, the bridge was not closed for traffic.
Celebrate Ramzan at home
Amdavad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Nehra while addressing media today urged people to celebrate the holy month of Ramzan at home instead of venturing out and risking spread of infection. “It is important for us to stay disciplined and pledge that we shall stay at home for 14 days and not venture out unnecessarily and risk the infection. We have seen how many people have not taken the 40-day lockdown in the city seriously. We need to understand now that it is a serious thing and it is unprecedented. We, in Ahmedabad, have to be more disciplined,” Nehra said.
Ahmedabad, along with other metros, has been listed as a red zone for coronavirus. Till now, Ahmedabad has recorded over 3,500 coronavirus positive cases, the highest in Gujarat. Of these, 37 people are on ventilator and 2,815 active cases. Over 525 people have been cured and discharged from hospitals. Ten wards in Ahmedabad are marked as containment zones. They are Dani Limda, Maninagar, Jamalpur, Khadia, Dariyapur, Shahpur, Asarwa, Behrampura, Gomtipur and Saraspur.
Spike due to Tablighi Jamaat
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, while interacting with a media house, had said that the spike in coronavirus positive cases in the state correlates to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz held in March this year. “Because Jamaat people hid their travel links, Old Ahmedabad has reported 90 per cent of corona cases with just 10 per cent population,” he said. While holding Tablighi Jamaat accountable for the menacing rise of coronavirus cases in the state, Rupani added that the state government was nimble in taming the intractable contagion.
Prior to Rupani, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand CM Triveni Singh Rawat, and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had all held the orthodox Islamic organisation responsible for the spurt in the coronavirus cases in their respective states.