Gujarat reports highest number of cases in a single day

Gujarat now has 34,600 cases of COVID-19

PTI26-05-2020_000137A File photo: A man sanitises a bus in Surat | PTI

Gujarat on Saturday recorded 712 COVID-19 positive cases, the highest in a single day, even as 17,000 people in Surat's Varachha area have been cluster quarantined. The state has now recorded a total of 34,600 cases.

The period of 24 hours that ended at 5 pm on Saturday also saw 21 deaths due to the deadly virus.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who visited Surat on Saturday to take stock of the situation, said that the under-construction stem cell and kidney hospitals would be converted into dedicated COVID-19 hospitals on an immediate basis. 

Ever since Unlock 1, Surat has been reporting a large number of cases. In Varachha, one of the key hubs of the diamond industry, 17,000 people staying in housing societies have been home quarantined. An official said that the housing societies have been clustered quarantined. 

Rupani also announced that 200 more ventilators will reach Surat by Sunday. 

He warned that diamond industries of Surat will have to adhere to social distancing norms and if they fail to do so then the industries will be shut down. Due to working conditions, more cases are being reported from the diamond industry. 

A team of government officials led by principal secretary health and family welfare Jayanti Ravi have been in Surat for more than three days to monitor the situation and guide the local authorities.

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