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Assam asks Centre not to classify districts into Covid-19 zones; state tally now at 87
At present three of the 33 districts in the state—Dhubri, Goalpara and Marigaon have been placed in the orange zone while all others are in green zone.
Instead of classifying entire districts into red, orange or green zones based on number of Covid-19 positive patients, the Assam government wants only those specific areas where cases have been detected to be turned into containment zones while allowing relaxations in other parts.
“The Assam government has officially given its view to Delhi that we don’t want to follow this concept of zones as these are misnomers. Suppose we get a positive case in Fancy Bazaar, how are people in Noonmati (both areas located in Guwahati) affected by it?” Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday evening.
At present three of the 33 districts in the state—Dhubri, Goalpara and Marigaon have been placed in the orange zone while all others are in green zone.
“We have recommended that we should be allowed to follow the policy of containment and buffer zones because classification of zones becomes subject to speculation and it concerns livelihoods of people,” Sarma said while addressing a press conference.
“We will have to keep fighting with coronavirus, but at the same time economic activity should not suffer. Therefore, instead of classifying districts into zones, we should contain the particular area where infection has been detected, leaving the other areas free to pursue normal business activities while maintaining social distance and ensuring use of masks,” he added.
Alert in Guwahati after 22 positive cases detected in 24 hours
With 22 fresh cases detected in Guwahati in 24 hours, the authorities in Assam are on alert and there’s anxiety among residents of the state and northeast’s biggest city.
While 15 people were detected positive on Wednesday, another 7 new cases were reported on Thursday taking the total number of patients in the state to 87. While two patients have died, 41 others have recovered, 43 are undergoing treatment and one patient has migrated to Bihar.
A total of 137 people including 63 cancer patients and their attendants had arrived in Guwahati on Tuesday night after travelling over 2,500 km by road from Mumbai in six buses.
All these people were kept in quarantine in a five-star hotel in Guwahati while their samples were taken and tested. On Thursday, seven of them including 3 cancer patients, one 13-year-old heart patient and 3 attendants were found positive for Covid-19.
“It is expected people in Guwahati will be anxious after 22 cases have been detected within the past 24 hrs. But we are not surprised about the 7 cases detected on Thursday,” Sarma said.
“Firstly they came from Mumbai and secondly even before these people came back, we had detected positive cases among some residents of Assam Bhawan in Mumbai where the patients and their attendants were staying,” he added.
In view of the spurt in cases, nine areas in Guwahati have been turned into containment zones.
Assam prepares SOP for passengers returning by train
Assam on Thursday released a fresh set of standard operating procedures to be followed while dealing with passengers returning to the state from other parts of the country by trains.
The procedures list out how passengers will be dealt with once they enter Assam and get down at various stations. Officials have been asked to follow the rules on transportation, screening, testing and quarantine for the passengers.
“Anyone found symptomatic will be segregated and taken to hospitals for tests. Others will be allowed to go to their home districts where they will be placed in institutional quarantine for at least 14 days,” Sarma said.
Passengers over 75 years, children below 10 years and their families, pregnant women and persons with disabilities will be allowed to go to their homes where they as well as their family members will have to keep themselves quarantined for 14 days.
Abandoning its earlier plan to turn schools and colleges into quarantine facilities, the government has now decided to requisition hotels, lodges etc. and keep passengers there. The cost of rent and food will be borne by the state government, Sarma said.
Since resumption of inter-state movement on May 4, over 11,000 people have returned by road from across the country and other states in the northeast back to Assam. Eighteen of them have been found positive for Covid-19 till date.
Nearly 500 passengers reached various locations in Assam on Wednesday and Thursday by the first train bringing back residents from Delhi. Two more trains, one from Delhi and another from Chennai, carrying over 800 passengers will reach the state on Thursday night.
