COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad up by 292 to 6645; death toll 446

The count of COVID-19 cases in hotspot Ahmedabad mounted to 6,645 on Wednesday with 292 more people testing positive for coronavirus while the number of fatalities rose to 446 with 25 deaths, a Health official said.

With 238 patients being discharged from hospitals, the number of the recovered patients in Ahmedabd district has gone up to 2,112, the official said.

Meanwhile, civic authorities on Wednesday decided to provide some relaxations in the lockdown in ten containment zones by allowing shops of essential items to remain open for five hours every day from May 15 on certain conditions.

Home delivery and opening of wholesale vegetable and fruit markets will not be allowed in the containment zones.

However, shops selling grocery, vegetables and fruits will be allowed to remain open between 8 am and 1 pm, officials said, adding that shop owners and their staff will have to carry "health screening cards" issued by the municipal corporation with the seven-day validity.

Officials said residents of these containment zones will be allowed to come out of their houses between 8 am and 1 pm only to make purchase of essential items, and no person will be allowed to go out to other parts of the city.

Among other conditions, shopkeepers will have to wear face masks, hand gloves and keep sanitisers for themselves and their customers. They will also have to follow social distancing norms and to keep a separate tray to exchange money to avoid direct contact, the AMC said in a release.

The civic body has been issuing health cards to grocery shop owners, and vegetable and milk vendors in the city after screening them for coronavirus.

Wards of Khadia, Jamalpur, Shahpur, Dariapur, Danilimda, Baherampura, Asarwa, Gomtipur, Saraspur, Maninagar have been marked as containment zones.