After hosting a meeting with Congress law maker, who tested COVID-19 positive, the Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday announced a week-long strict 'social distancing' measure for himself.

"Nobody will be allowed to meet the Chief Minister for the next one week. However, the Chief Minister will continue to work, operate and delegate decisions using video conferencing technology from his residence," Ashwini Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister informed in a statement this noon.

The State administration went into a huddle after Congress MLA Imran Khedawala tested positive for coronavirus barely hours after meeting the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja on Tuesday.

A team of medical experts and doctors led by Dr R K Patel and Dr Atul Patel conducted medical examination on Rupani and found him completely fit with all parameters to be normal.

Sources informed that the Deputy Chief Minister Patel and MoS Home Jadeja have also gone for social distancing while overseeing the government functions remotely from their residences.

Earlier in a statement the government had criticised Khedawala for his irresponsible act as he was travelling and meeting people despite running fever and cold for past two days. "His samples were collected a day before and the results were awaited. In such a situation, he should have avoided meeting people, which he didn't do and committed a mistake," the statement said.

Khedawala, who represents Jamalpur - Khadia constituency in the Ahmedabad city, was visiting the Chief Minister along with two other Congress MLAs Sailesh Parmar from Danilimda and Gyasuddin Sheikh from Dariapur constituencies. The constituencies have been identified as hotspot clusters for COVID-19 and have been placed under a curfew since Wednesday morning due to rapid surge in the positive cases.

While, Khedawala has been admitted to an Ahmedabad hospital, Sheikh and Parmar have home quarantined themselves.

Apart from the ministers, Khedawala had met several government officials, bureaucrats and journalists during the day.

Medical checkup is being worked out for all those who came in contact with Khedawala.

Meanwhile, the State health department reported 56 new positive cases in the State on Wednesday morning. Of these maximum i.e. 42 cases were from the cluster areas of Ahmedabad city. There were two deaths reported in the past 12 hours. This takes total number of positive cases in the State so far at 695 with 30 deaths. SO far 59 people have been treated and discharged from the hospital.

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