Assam govt announces lockdown in state till March 31

During a press conference held in Guwahati, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the current situation has turned worse and the need of the hour is to lockdown the state.

“We have decided to lockdown the state from 6 pm on March 24 till March 31. Police will take stern action against those people who violate it,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

He also said that, the state government will seal the state borders.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbanadna Sonowal on Monday held a video conference (VC) with the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to review the situation in the state arising out of COVID-19 outbreak and asked them to closely monitor the situation in their respective districts to check transmission of coronavirus infection in the state and complete adherence to lockdown declared by the government.

Sonowal during the video conference asked the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to enforce the lockdown in their respective jurisdiction and put a close monitoring system in place to make all the essential commodities available to the public.

He also asked the functionaries to keep a watch on the traders so that there is ‘no hoarding’ of essential items and making use of the extraordinary situation the prices of essential commodities do not spike.

Considering the looming threat of the COVID-19 on humanity, Sonowal said that the people should maintain self-quarantine. He also emphasized that the golden protocol to check the transmission of this virus is observance of ‘social distancing’ and ‘avoidance of all kinds of social gathering’.

He, however, said that with cooperation from the public at large, the virulence of the novel coronavirus and its fatality can be minimized to a great extent.

Sonowal, therefore, asked the DCs to take the help of gaon burahs, line sardars in the tea garden areas and other organizations to generate awareness among the public and make them understand in details the severity of the virus and the rate at which the virus spreads from one infected person to others
         
The Assam Chief Minister also caught the attention of the DCs and SPs and said that since COVID-19 pandemic is a new health hazard that has affected as many as 197 countries, one should try to fight with this pandemic following practices such as good health and hygiene and restrain oneself from social gathering and follow social distancing.

He, therefore, urged upon the people of the state to adhere to the health advisories issued by the State government. He also asked the DCs to use their men and machinery to educate those people in general and those who visit hospitals to follow cough etiquette by covering the nose and mouth using masks or handkerchief while sneezing or coughing and do frequent handwashing with soap.

He also informed them that Rapid Response Teams have been constituted in all the districts and asked the DCs to depute his senior officers to have round the clock surveillance on every potential development which may affect the novel coronavirus situation in the state.

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)