Coronavirus in Surat: 7-day quarantine for travellers from other states, traders apprehend business loss

In an attempt to rein in the rising number of Coronavirus cases in the city, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has asked all travellers to the city from outside Gujarat to remain in home quarantine for a period of seven days. The notification to impose the condition of mandatory week-long home quarantine was issued by the SMC on Wednesday, the Indian Express reported. Among other measures to bring the cases of Coronavirus under control, the SMC also decided to suspend the inter-city public bus transport services indefinitely to discourage people from going out of their homes.

Surat medical health officer Dr Pradeep Umrigar was quoted as saying that travellers from other states will have to take steps to isolate themselves and avoid contact with any other members of the house for a period of seven days. Dr Umrigar further said that upon experiencing any Coronavirus related symptoms, they also need to get tested for Coronavirus.

The notification also mentioned the provision of penal action against individuals not abiding by the home-quarantine measures. As per the notification, the negligent individuals can be charged under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster Management Act, the Indian Express reported.

The business class and traders class however reacted to the notification with apprehensions that the fiat could affect their business. Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) President MAnoj Agrawal said that their business will go down with the latest notification issued by the SMC and would not be acceptable to them. Citing an example of a textile trader who has come to the city to sell his stuff, Agrawal said that the trader cannot be expected to shut in a hotel room and stall his business visits in the city. He further said that the association will meet the SMC Commissioner and request him to take back the notification.

Public places and recreational sites like parkm libraries, zoos, sports clubs and gymnasiums have also been shut by the civic authorities in the city. With regard to the educational institutions including schools and colleges, the authorities have asked schools to switch to online mode while allowing institutions where exams are going on to conclude the remaining papers and then shift to online classes. With the vaccination strategy racing against time, the authorities have also permitted the vaccination centre to operate till 9 PM in order to attain the target of vaccinating 3 lakh people a day in the state.

The number of daily Covid-19 cases registered in the state on Wednesday was 1122 which is in the range of Covid-19 cases the state used to record last in mid-December last year. Out of the total cases, 315 were reported from Surat while another major chunk of 264 cases were reported from Ahmedabad.