Surprisingly, Navratri 2021 played a significant role in making the future prosperous. With not a single garba season in the last two years, Ahmedabad seems to be getting its groove back! 190 police checkpoints were set up throughout the city during the nine nights. No arrests were made during any of these checkpoints.
And if that’s not music enough to your ears, here’s some more: Ahmedabad Civil Hospital reported ZERO cases of Covid-19 on Thursday for the first time in 555 days!
Dussehra this year can truly be remembered as the triumph of the good. Of the 190 checkpoints, 98 were set up in the eastern part of the city which is more vulnerable to crimes and 92 in the western part which sees more ‘traffic’ movement during the night.
According to senior police officials, the barricades were set up to keep a watch on antisocial elements and alcoholics and safeguard women revellers. “The barricades were set up to apprehend criminal elements and those found violating Covid-19 curfew guidelines but almost no such apprehensions have been reported to me by my subordinates,” said a senior police official. Same is the situation in the western part of the city. The khaki-clad men deployed at the barricades report to the concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police. According to police sources, the barricading at about 190 checkpoints will continue through the festive season and could be extended further to ensure safety of lives and property.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Sector-1) Rajendra Asari said that by setting up the barricades across the city they have ensured people enjoy Navratri with Covid-19 protocols in place.
Last two Covid patients go home
In a huge relief for the administration involved in Covid-related work in Gujarat for nearly two years now, Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Thursday reported zero Covid positive patients. The last two admitted patients tested negative for RT-PCR and no other positive patients were admitted to the hospital on October 14. In-charge Medical Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi said, “The last two patients with Covid-19 tested negative on October 14 and no other patients have been admitted today. We now only have a few suspect patients and the rest who have already tested negative for Covid but are recuperating from the effects of the disease.”
Ahmedabad Civil Hospital reached Zero Covid status exactly 555 days after the first patient of the pandemic was admitted to the facility on April 7, 2020.
In this time, the hospital has seen more than 1 lakh patients walk into the OPD and has treated more than 45,000 Covid patients here. The second Covid wave was the worst for the hospital where the entire Medicity campus, including the 1,200-bed hospital, IKDRC and GCRI were completely occupied to capacity for a total of 28 days with lines of ambulances stretching out far into the streets; this was the time Covid patients desperately waited to get admitted to the facilities. Dr Joshi told Mirror that 550 patients was the highest single-day admission during the deadly second wave. On that day, 400 patients had come into triage after almost all the Covid-designated hospitals in Ahmedabad were filled to capacity.
While only one patient was admitted a few days ago, which was the lowest, the last two months have seen Covid admissions in the single digits, said officials.
However, the Zero Day at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital comes at a crucial time in Ahmedabad though citizens cannot afford to be lax with the Covid protocols like they did just before Diwali in 2020. It is pertinent to note that government relaxations just before Diwali 2020 had resulted in a massive rush of festivity shopping. This had led to massive spread of Covid infection, especially in Ahmedabad. The number of patients transported to Covid hospitals in ambulances in November 2020 had reached 9,987, which constituted 61.9% of the 15,968 patients ferried to hospitals in Gujarat.
Speaking on the Covid situation and the Zero Day achievement, Dr Joshi said, “The situation is good at the moment. However, this is not the time to be complacent. Everyone must adhere to Covid protocols and take the vaccine as soon as possible.”
