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‘Compulsory community service’ at Covid-19 centres for those not wearing masks, rules Gujarat high court
The high court has directed the Gujarat government to issue a notification in this regard, news agency ANI reported.
In a bid to control the Covid-19 situation in Gujarat, the high court on Wednesday ordered that those not found wearing masks will have to serve a “compulsory community service” at Covid-19 care centres, news agency ANI has reported. The Gujarat high court, the agency further said, directed the state government to pass a notification in this regard.
In recent days, the Gujarat government has announced a series of measures to curb the pandemic in the state. On Tuesday, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel announced that the price of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test by private labs will be reduced to ₹800. If the patient wants to be tested at home, Patel said, he/she will have to pay ₹1,100. Before the government’s announcement, private labs were charging ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 for conducting RT-PCR tests.
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The government has also put the state’s four largest cities-Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara-under night curfew. A 57-hour “complete curfew” was announced in Ahmedabad from 9pm on November 20 to 6am on November 23. At the end of the “complete curfew,” the government announced that a daily night curfew, from 9pm to 6am, would remain in force in the city till the situation is brought under control. The night curfew for Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara, meanwhile, was announced on November 21.
Also Read | Ahmedabad imposes night curfew from 9pm To 6am amid rising Covid- 19 cases
Gujarat had also postponed reopening of schools and colleges in the state, which were scheduled to reopen from November 23, in the wake of its current coronavirus situation.
The state has thus far recorded a total of 211,095 cases of Covid-19, as per the government’s official Covid-19 portal. This includes 192,209 recovered cases, 14,885 active cases and 4,001 deaths. With well over 50,000 cases-50,409-Ahmedabad is the worst-hit city in Gujarat and among the worst-affected cities in the country.
