Ahmedabad records 267 new coronavirus cases, 16 deaths

The total number of coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat reached 3,293 on Friday after 267 new cases were reported since previous night.

The district's tally of 3,293 forms a major chunk of total 4,721 positive cases reported in Gujarat till now.

Moreover, 16 persons succumbed to the virus infection in the district since Thursday night, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi.

The death toll due to the pandemic in Ahmedabad has reached 165, the highest in Gujarat, said Ravi.

At the same time, 83 persons recovered from the infection and were discharged from Ahmedabad-based government hospitals since Thursday night.

Three more wards of the Ahmedabad city have been put under Red Zone after new cases of coronavirus surfaced in these areas in the last few days, said officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

The three new wards in red zone are Saraspur, Asarawa and Gomtipur, said municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra. Jamalpur, Khadia, Dariyapur, Shahpur, Danilimda and Behrampura were put in red zone earlier.

42 wards are in orange zone.

A local MLA living in Jamalpur got infected earlier and recovered recently, but a senior corporator of Congress, a resident of Behrampura, died due to the infection.

Out of the total 2,470 active coronavirus patients currently undergoing treatment in the city, as many as 1,044 belong to the Central Zone, followed by 636 from South Zone and 253 from North Zone, Nehra said in video message on Friday.

"Looking at the number of cases emerging from specific areas during the last two-three days, we have decided to put these three wards into Red Zone," said Nehra.

From Friday, it is mandatory for all the vendors and shopkeepers to wear face masks, he added.