Covid-19: New high of 92 deaths in Assam, ban on inter-district travel

GUWAHATI: Assam on Saturday recorded 92 Covid deaths, the state’s highest fatality count since the beginning of the pandemic, even as the state banned inter-district travel for 15 days from Friday to check the spike in fresh infections.
Since May 10, 595 people have succumbed to the virus.
“Inter-district travel will be banned from Friday. The notification is already out,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the media.
The state health department has intensified the number of Covid tests from Monday to isolate the maximum number of positive cases by targeting one lakh tests everyday. Significantly, the positivity rate has declined to 6.99% on Monday, from 8.51% reported on Sunday, despite the number of tests being more than double compared to the previous day.
However, lack of proper monitoring at home isolation has become the biggest worry for the state government.
“Covid patients are coming to hospitals in Guwahati at oxygen saturation level of 30 where doctors can hardly do anything. I appeal to those in home isolation to constantly monitor the oxygen levels. They must come to hospital as and when it touches the 90- mark,” Sarma said.
A total of 6,394 new cases were detected across the state on Monday after carrying out 91,481 tests. The current recovery rate of Assam is 85.73%.
Mostly importantly, there was no significant upsurge in the daily cases in Kamrup (Metropolitan) where 1,100 cases were detected on Monday. “Covid situation in Guwahati is improving. 1,100 cases after conducting a higher number of tests is a good sign,” principal secretary to the state health department Anurag Goel told TOI.
Health officials are hopeful that the new restrictions on inter-district transport services and movement of people between districts, which shall remain suspended for 15 days with effect from 5 am of Friday until further orders, will help in checking the virus spread.
However, movement of goods and persons, including frontline workers in connection with Covid-19 related duties on production of valid documents, movement of officials and persons — both government and private involved in emergency services, including all incidental services and activities that are essential for smooth functioning of all modes of public transport such as handling of cargo, ticketing, air freight station will continue.
Movement of pregnant women and patients for getting medical and health services have been exempted. The order, however, clarified that the movement related to medical, last rite emergencies or any other movement with written permission from the jurisdictional deputy commissioner of the originating district is necessary. Movement of goods shall continue uninterrupted.
Also, movement of persons coming from and going to airports, railway stations and Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBTs) have been allowed on showing valid tickets. Movement of people for Covid-19 vaccination have been also exempted from the purview of the order.
“There shall be no restriction on inter-state movement of passengers and transportation of essential/non-essential goods. No separate permission/e-pass will be required for such movements, read the government order.
Earlier in the day, chief minister Sarma visited the Premiere Cryogenics Limited’s oxygen plant at Saukuchi in the city and took stock of the oxygen generation capacity of the plant for boosting oxygen availability in the state.
After restarting the plant, which was closed long back, Sarma said that the operationalised unit in the plant is producing 14 metric tonne (MT). Once the second unit starts functioning in the plant, it would further improve oxygen generation capacity, he added. "Assam’s oxygen production capacity has gone upto 80 MT as against the requirement of 70 MT," he informed, adding that the Centre has allocated 100 MT oxygen to the state which would be transported by a dedicated train.
"Apart from fulfilling the state's own requirement, Assam is helping other NE states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland by providing oxygen supply," he said.