Gujarat: CM discusses post-May 17 strategy with PM Modi

According to a senior official, CM Vijay Rupani told the PM, "156 cities, two municipal corporation areas and almost all the villages have returned to normalcy during the ongoing lockdown."

Vijay Rupani, Narendra modi, COronavirus cases, Gujarat news, indian express news

Rupani also assured Modi that surveillance was going on in full swing and super spreaders were being identified, sources added.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the chief ministers’ video conference on Monday that except six municipal corporations, most parts of the state had returned to normalcy.

According to a senior official, he told the PM, “156 cities, two municipal corporation areas and almost all the villages have returned to normalcy during the ongoing lockdown.” Discussing the strategy for easing after the third lockdown ends May 17, Rupani also told the PM that “industries, businesses, agriculture activities were going on in full swing except in six cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar,” a senior state government official told The Indian Express.

Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have been under a severe lockdown till May 15 and May 17 respectively, with only shops selling milk and medicines allowed to open.

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The cities of Ahmedabad and Surat which have the highest number of cases in Gujarat have seen visits from central teams during the lockdown. Last week, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria visited Ahmedabad and in a media interaction, suggested that lockdown cannot be an indefinite strategy.

On Monday, another team of officials led by public health committee additional Deputy Director general Dr Alok Mathur and Dr Nareshkumar Gile, assistant director with national vector-borne disease control programme, visited Surat to review the way forward after the lockdown.

Rupani also assured Modi that surveillance was going on in full swing and super spreaders were being identified, sources added. When asked if the CM had suggested that the state does not wish to continue with the lockdown post May 17, the official said, “We will follow whatever the Centre instructs us to do.”

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