Dibrugarh: The Zaloni tea estate in Assam’s Dibrugarh district was forced to shut down after 133 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. As per updates from Deputy Commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha, the tea estate has been declared a containment zone. However, he added that the patients are asymptomatic at present.

“133 cases were detected at Zaloni tea estate till yesterday. All patients are asymptomatic. The tea estate has now been declared a containment zone,” Jha said.

The development comes at a time when Assam’s COVID-19 tally jumped to 2,77,687 on Thursday as 4,936 more people tested positive for the infection while 46 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,531.

On the other side, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the situation is “alarming but we are prepared to deal with it”. He said that COVID management capabilities are being stepped up and a 60-bed ICU has become operational from Thursday.

The minister also visited the COVID ICU at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital, wearing a PPE kit, to see the condition of the patients and expressed his gratitude for all healthcare professionals.

“I always stand alongside our doctors and healthcare staff who are dedicating their exemplary services for #COVID19 management”, Sarma tweeted.

Kamrup (Metro) district reported the highest of 13 deaths, followed by four each in Dibrugarh and Kamrup (Rural), three each in Golaghat, Nalbari and Tinsukia, two each in Barpeta and Sonitpur and one each two each in Bishwanath, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Darrang, Dima Hasao, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Nagaon. Hojai, Jorhat, Sivasagar and Lakhimpur.

The 4,936 new cases detected during the day include 1,353 from Kamrup Metro, 484 from Dibrugarh, 454 from Kamrup Rural and 275 from Nagaon.

Meanwhile, in Guwahati, which falls under Kamrup Metro district, areas under three wards with more than 400 positive COVID-19 cases in each have been declared as containment zone from this evening.