Assam on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day spike in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, taking the count to 154 since a little before Monday midnight.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 39 people tested positive on Tuesday, all with travel history from Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal. The youngest among them is a two-month-old boy from central Assam’s Hojai.
Of the 154 cases, 107 are active with 41 persons having been discharged after recovery. Four died and a person each migrated to Bihar and West Bengal.
The sudden jump in the number of cases has worried the government given the “limited facilities and resources”. Consequently, Mr .Sarma asked migrant workers, students and others keen on returning from other parts of India to come in a phased manner.
“Don’t come in huge numbers. Come over a period of time, say a batch of 500 in three days. It will help the government to quarantine people in a better way. Otherwise, the quarantine centres will be crowded and maintaining social distancing will be difficult,” he said.
The Minister also advised people to stay indoors as much as possible. “Most restrictions have been lifted, but people should use their discretion and adhere to COVID-19 protocols to save themselves and others,” he added.
On Tuesday morning, the police in Guwahati located a man who had gone into hiding after escaping from quarantine after testing positive on Monday.
Quarantine killing
Meanwhile, the police in north-eastern Assam’s Dhemaji district have arrested one Lintu Gogoi on charges of murdering his wife after being sent to home quarantine.