Continuing to “chase the virus” and zero in on the super-spreaders, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra has appealed to youngsters to save the lives of seniors and those having comorbid conditions. Taking to social media on Friday, Nehra said that as the lockdown ends on May 3, the chances of the spread of COVID-19 increases.
Ahmedabad has emerged as a hotspot since the beginning and till Thursday evening, the district, including AMC limits, has reported 1,652 of the 2,624 cases in Gujarat. Ahmedabad district has so far recorded 69 deaths out of the state's 112.
Cases in the city had seen a spike after several of those who attended the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in March tested positive. Thereafter, the central zone–the Walled City–was taken under cluster containment and proactively cases were found. Curfew has also been imposed in the area. The AMC is also zeroing in on vegetable vendors and grocery shop owners as they have the highest potential to spread COVID-19.
Nehra said the AMC is starting a #SavingOurSeniors campaign. He said the onus is on the youngsters to save the seniors, who have till now brought us up. Nehra asked youngsters, who make TikTok videos, to make nice messages that can help spread awareness. He said that after COVID-19 is over, he would meet the youngsters who made good videos. "If possible, I will meet them virtually even before COVID-19 gets contained," he added.
He said till May end, the seniors and those having comorbid conditions should not step out of the house and if necessary, the youngsters should go out. According to him, so far it has been seen that those between the age group of 18 and 45 years are tackling the virus in a strong manner.
He added that currently, every four days COVID-19 is doubling in AMC limits. Nehra said if the trend persists, then by May 15 there will be 10,000 cases and by the end of the month, there will be 50,000 cases. He observed that so far only South Korea has been able to achieve an eight-day doubling rate.
Seeking people's support, Nehra said Ahmedabad should bring down the doubling rate to every 10 days. If that is achieved, then the positive cases will only be 7,000 by May 15 and by the month end only, 20,000 to 25,000.
