In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Gujarat government on Monday extended the night curfew in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot till February 28.
However, the duration of the night curfew has been further curtailed by an hour. The night curfew will now be from 12 am to 6 am, said Pankaj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of State Home Department. "Night curfew will be imposed in four metro cities of Gujarat from midnight to 6 am from 16th to 28th February," NDTV quoted Kumar as saying.
The Gujarat government had first imposed the night curfew in November. It was later continued in December and January, and now has been extended till February-end.
The Gujarat government's decision comes on the day Chief Minister Vijay Rupani tested positive for coronavirus. He has mild symptoms and his condition is stable, the Ahmedabad-based medical facility said.
On Sunday, Rupani, 64, fainted on stage while addressing a rally in Vadodara for the upcoming civic polls in the state, following which he was flown to Ahmedabad and admitted to the U N Mehta Heart Hospital.
Rupani's sample was collected on Sunday night and sent for RT-PCR test which has come out positive for coronavirus, said a health bulletin issued by the hospital on Monday.
"His symptoms are mild and his condition is stable," it said. The hospital also said the chief minister fainted on Sunday due to "tiredness and physical weakness". His ECG, blood test and other examinations were conducted and their results are normal, it said.
Meanwhile, Gujarat on Sunday reported 247 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections to 2,65,244, the state health department said.
