COVID-19: Gujarat struggles with migrant workers' unrest, superspreaders

Even as Gujarat is struggling with rise in new COVID-19 cases and deaths every day, protests from stranded migrant workers and the challenge of containing the superspreaders, are giving the state a severe headache.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Gujarat stands at 5,804, with death toll rising to 319. Gujarat is only second to Maharashtra in terms of number of cases and deaths.

While stranded migrant workers have been taking to the streets in protest in Surat a few times now, similar instances of unrest have now been reported from other parts of the state.

In the fourth incident during the lockdown period, police had to lob teargas shells and resort to mild lathicharge in Kadodara area of Surat when the migrant workers's protest turned violent. They were demanding to be sent home.

A similar incident also occurred at Palanpur Octroi Post in Surat.

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In Rajkot, hundreds of migrant workers rushed to the Collectorate and demanded that they be sent to their native states. They dispersed only after an assurance was given to them that a permission will be obtained for a special train.

In the past two days, more than 18 trains have been arranged and over 21,000 migrant workers have been sent to their native states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.

Amid the migrant workers' unrest, the state, especially Ahmedabad, is also grappling with superspreaders (those who have the highest potential of spreading the infection, such as shopkeepers, vegetable vendors and milk vendors).

The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad, which is the worst-hit, is 3,817, with Surat and Vadodara reporting 686 and 350 cases, respectively.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has now decided to give health screening cards to vegetable vendors. Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra said that people should buy vegetables from only those vendors who have got the health screening cards. This, after 222 vegetable vendors were tested positive in different parts of the city.

While officers have been appointed to ensure that those vendors not having the cards are not allowed to sell vegetables, it remains to be seen how much the decision can be implemented, considering Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state.

The health screening cards will have a validity of one week and would have to be renewed from the corporation offices.

In a bid to control the number of cases in the city, 10 of the 48 wards in the city have been made containment zones.