COVID-19: Team of experts to reach Gujarat tonight

AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria and Dr Manish Suneja will arrive in Ahmedabad

Security personnel wearing protective gear patrol a street in Ahmedabad | PTI Security personnel wearing protective gear patrol a street in Ahmedabad | PTI

AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria and Dr Manish Suneja will arrive in Ahmedabad on Friday night to help Gujarat tackle the rising mortality rate in the state due to COVID-19.

Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said that the two doctors would reach Ahmedabad in a special Indian Air Force aircraft.

On Saturday, they would see COVID-19 patients in the Civil Hospital and SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad. They will also meet doctors treating the patients and give their advice.

A couple of days ago, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking the services of Guleria and other doctors for a day.

Gujarat has received flak from various quarters for failing to control the rising number of cases and deaths in the state.

In the last 24 hours, which ended on Friday at 5pm, 390 new cases were reported, thereby taking the number of total positive cases to 7,403. Twenty-four patients succumbed to COVID-19. The total deaths in the state stand at 449. After 163 patients were discharged after recovery, total number of patients discharged in the state has gone up to 1,872.

Stone pelting on police

Stones were pelted on police in Shahpur area of Ahmedabad on Friday when they tried to clear people who had come out on streets during Ramzan. Stones were also pelted on paramilitary forces that are in the city to ensure that lockdown is adhered to in the strictest possible manner.

Congress MLA Imran Khedawala, who had tested positive for COVID-19 in April and later recovered, appealed to the minority community to stay indoors, though it was Ramzan.

Labour unrest

Protests by migrant workers continued in various parts of the state as the authorities failed to control the anger of people who have been wanting to go back to their native states.

Several trains from Surat to Odisha had to be cancelled since Thursday after the Odisha High Court said that only those migrant labourers who have tested negative, will be allowed to enter state.