Covid-19 night curfew extended to rural parts of Surat

Night curfew currently in force in Surat city will be extended to rural parts of the district from Sunday to curb the spread of Covid-19, officials said.

The Gujarat government last week imposed restrictions on people's movement during night in 20 cities of the state, including Surat.

In a notification issued on Saturday night, Surat Collector Dhaval Patel extended the curfew to rural parts of the district from Sunday till April 31.

The curfew will remain in force from 8 pm to 6 am, as per the notification.

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Surat is the first district in Gujarat where the night curfew has been imposed in both urban and rural areas.

The collector said such restrictions are needed "to stem the spread of Covid-19 as people are crowding the markets, restaurants and other places in large numbers".

On Saturday, Gujarat for the first time reported over 5,000 Covid-19 cases since the outbreak of the disease in March last year.

Out of 5,011 new cases in the state, 239 were from rural parts of Surat district.

Besides, Surat city recorded 913 new cases, the second-highest after Ahmedabad city, where 1,409 people tested positive for the viral infection on Saturday, as per official data.