12 per cent of people who died from coronavirus in Ahmedabad belong to Chhipa community

The maximum number of coronavirus deaths in Gujarat has been reported from Ahmedabad. 53 people who died from coronavirus were from the Chhipa community residing in Jamalpur-Astodia localities. This accounts for 12 per cent of the total 446 deaths reported from Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad: The walled city of Ahmedabad has been the worst affected area in Gujarat due to the coronavirus and of this, the maximum cases have been reported from Jamalpur. Though there has been a decline in the number of positive cases in the last few days, many members of the Chhipa community residing in Jamalpur fell victim to the pandemic in large numbers. Till May 13, as many as 53 people belonging to the Chhipa community living in Jamalpur had died from coronavirus in Ahmedabad. This accounts for 12 per cent of the total 446 deaths reported in the city due to COVID-19.

Why did large number of Chhipa community members die?

Members of the Chhipa community have been living since generations in Jamalpur, Raikhad, Astodia, and Gol Limda localities of Ahmedabad. These areas being thickly populated, coronavirus infection spread on a large scale. Besides, the absence of social distancing is also responsible for its spread.

In view of a large number of coronavirus positive cases in this area, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has opened a treatment facility in the Chhipa Community Centre in Gol Limda locality. The asymptomatic coronavirus positive cases are kept here for treatment. It is while supervising the treatment being given here and to educate the people about how to follow the lockdown rules that the MLA from Jamalpur-Khadia assembly constituency Imran Khedawala got infected.

However, people heaved a sigh of relief after lesser number of positive cases were reported from Jamalpur area during the last several days.

Between April and May, as many as 130 members of Chhipa community have died due to coronavirus and other factors.