Surat district records 288 COVID-19 cases, 299 recoveries

Surat, Oct 1 () As many as 288 more persons from Surat district of Gujarat tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 28,481 on Thursday, said the state Health Department.

A total of 299 persons, highest for a district in Gujarat, also recovered and discharged from hospitals during the same period, said a Health Department release.

Along with conducting rapid antigen tests to identify positive patients, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is also penalising people not following Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) put in place to control the spread of the virus in the city.

On Thursday, the civic body collected a fine of Rs 36,800 from 111 persons found violating social distancing norms, said an SMC release.

Similarly, Rs 26,800 in fine was collected from 101 persons who were found roaming without face masks, it said.

Till now, the civic body has collected a cumulative fine of Rs 2.05 crore from 48,063 violators, said the release.

The addition of 288 new cases in the last 24 hours was highest for a district in the state.

Surat's tally of 28,481 cases is second highest after Ahmedabad, where 37,040 persons have been found infected by the virus so far.

Out of these 288 new cases, 176 were reported from Surat city and 112 from rural parts of the district, the Health Department release said.

Four patients, two each from Surat city and rural parts, succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 942 in the district, it said. COR PJT PD RSY RSY