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Car thief tests Covid-19 positive after return from Rajasthan, Assam wary
The district administration is worried about the fate of his 41 other fellow travellers, including eight children, who, too, came back with the patient from Ajmer by a bus.
The authorities at Silchar in Assam’s Barak Valley’s Cachar district are on alert after a person, who returned on Wednesday from Rajasthan’s Ajmer, tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive.
The district administration is worried about the fate of his 41 other fellow travellers, including eight children, who, too, came back with the patient from Ajmer by a bus.
“The Covid-19 positive person is a notorious carjacker from Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district and several police cases are registered against him,” Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.
“He is undergoing treatment at Silchar Medical College Hospital, the other passengers of the bus, its two drivers, and a conductor have been put under quarantine. Also, 11 areas in Cachar district have been declared as containment zones,” the minister said.
“The bus reached Silchar on Wednesday after the Ajmer district magistrate allowed it to travel, despite nationwide lockdown restrictions. All 42 passengers on board of the bus didn’t follow any social distancing norms,” Sarma said.
“While other passengers were asked to be quarantined at home, swab samples of one of them were taken as a precautionary measure. His samples tested Covid-19 positive,” he added.
The incident has led Assam government to revise its strategy regarding home quarantine for people returning to the state following relaxations allowed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Earlier, only those who tested Covid-19 positive or showed symptoms were to be placed in a quarantine facility.
“Now, all those returning from red zones in other parts of the country will be put under compulsory quarantine at a facility for at least three days even if they are asymptomatic and till the time the results of their swab samples tests are available,” said Sarma.
The state government is also planning to introduce a daily quota system of how many people returning from other states would be allowed to enter Assam in the wake of the Ajmer incident.
So far, Assam Police has issued 375 passes allowing entry of 2,056 people returning to the state from other parts of the country. While permits of 3,420 other passengers are under process.
CHALLENGING PHASE
Sarma raised concerns about the challenging phase amid the easing of lockdown restrictions.
“We’ve entered a challenging phase, as people are coming back from other states and may turn out of the carriers of the viral infection. SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, won’t be lax because of the government’s relaxations. I request people to be careful and not to step out of their homes unless absolutely necessary,” Sarma said.
The state government will impose a fine of Rs 500 under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, from Friday against anyone found not wearing a mask in public places.
The government has spent Rs 60 crore in providing assistance of Rs 2,000 each for nearly two lakh migrant workers, who have been stranded outside the state because of the pandemic. Sarma pledged that the financial aid would continue for the next few weeks.
Similarly, the government has decided to give Rs 5,000 each to students, who are looking to come back home from western and southern parts of the country and Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 from northern and eastern parts, respectively.
Those students interested to return can call at 18003453525 or email to assamstudenthelpdesk@gmail.com. Students will receive the cash only after they return to Assam.
Also, all the villagers in the state’s 25,000-odd villages have started undergoing health check-ups from Thursday, and their swab samples, if necessary, will be collected to conduct Covid-19 tests. The villagers’ health check-up regime is likely to be completed within a month, Sarma added.
CHANGE IN ACADEMIC SESSION?
The state government is considering introducing changes in the school calendar because of the impact of lockdown restrictions and pandemic’s aftershocks.
Though school session in Assam follow the calendar-year format, such as from January to December, the government may extend it till March for the current session like other parts of the country and the next session may begin in April.
“This year we’re announcing summer break for schools from May 1 to May 31 because of the lockdown. Even if the lockdown is lifted after May 17, students don’t have to come to school till the end of the month,” Sarma, who also holds the education portfolio, said.
The minister announced that the secondary and higher secondary examination results would be announced in June and instead of hard copies digitised mark sheets would be made available for students online.
“Students can take admissions in schools and colleges using these digital mark sheets. The admission process will also be conducted online. School and college authorities can verify the mark sheets from the official board website,” he added.
