Compulsory Covid-19 testing for passengers from Mumbai and Bengaluru
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, April 8: Altogether 245 fresh Covid-19 have been reported in the state on Thursday, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 2,19,180, an official report of National Health Mission (NHM) said here.
The situation has prompted the Assam government to make Covid-19 tests mandatory for the passengers coming from Mumbai and Bengaluru at the airports and railways stations in the state.
“Passengers coming from Mumbai and Bangalore have to undergo compulsory #Covid-19 tests in the airports and railways stations of Assam,” health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted.
The testing has been intensified at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) airport here.
“Testing is mandatory for the passengers who do not carry a RT-PCR report, conducted within 72 hours,” an official said.
“Today we have detected a positive case. We are trying our best to contain the virus,” said the official.
Seven air passengers were Covid-19 positive at the LGBI airport.
Jorhat
10 fresh cases have been reported from Jorhat district on Thursday taking the tally to 12,443 in the district.
A total of 12,247 patients have been discharged till Thursday. The district now has 53 active positive cases.
Nagaon
The number of Covid-19 positive cases has been increasing in the district.
As many as 28 positive cases have been registered within the last five days, of which 12 cases were tested positive on Tuesday and 4 cases on Wednesday while five cases including a three-year-old child have been tested positive on Thursday.
One elderly businessman died of Covid-19 on Thursday morning when he was undergoing treatment in Guwahati after being affected by the virus.
The deceased businessman has been identified as Megraj Kothari (78) of Haiborgaon bazaar.
Two active cases in Hailakandi
Four Covid-19 affected persons have been discharged from SK Roy Civil Hospital after being cured here on Thursday.
The district currently has two active Covid-19 cases while 3,354 patients have recovered from the disease.
The Covid-19 death toll in the district is nine. The district has so far tested 1,60,762 samples for Covid-19 including 468 samples in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the district administration has informed that the rate for RT-PCR test for Covid-19 collected at NABL and ICMR approved laboratories and hospitals has been fixed at Rs. 500 only and those collected at home would be Rs. 700. Tariff for Rapid Antigen Test is Rs. 250 only.
The administration has asked the hospitals and labs to display the revised tariffs prominently and ensure strict compliance of the order. Non-compliance will attract strict action as per provisions of law, the order warned.
The officials of the administration and health department will closely monitor and enforce the rates strictly.
Section 144 clamped in Sivasagar
Following detection of 19 new cases of Covid-19, Sivasagar district magistrate Bishnu Kamal Bora has promulgated section 144 of CrPC in the entire district and as per directives of the Central government, prohibiting spitting in public places besides making it compulsory to wear masks and maintain social distancing in market place, work place, public vehicles etc.
The order directed all public and commercial establishments to keep sanitizers ready in front of their establishments.
Any person violating the order would invite legal action under the provisions 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.The order which came into effect immediately will remain in force until further order, as stated in the DIPRO report here.