Gandhinagar, Mar 16 (IANS): With the number of Covid-19 cases on the rise in Gujarat, the state government on Tuesday announced to extend the night curfew timing in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot for two hours. Accrodingly, the curfew in these four cities will be imposed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., instead of the existing timing of midnight to 6 a.m., with effect from Wednesday.

After the recent local body elections in the state, Gujarat has been witnessing a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, especially in Ahmedabad. On Monday, the state had reported 890 fresh coronavirus cases, forcing the government to extend the night curfew timing in the four hotspots by two hours.

"As a precationary measure, the night curfew timing in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot is being extended from Wednesday till March 31," the state government announced on Tuesday.

Gujarat has so far reported 2,79,097 Covid-19 cases, with Ahmedabad (64,841), Surat (56,068), Vadodara (31,347) and Rajkot (24,315) acoounting for the maximum number of cases.