Assam govt drafts SOP before arrival of 800 people via Shramik trains

Assam Government on Thursday drafted a Standard Operating Procedures for return of residents of state from or parts of country by trains, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

More than 800 passengers are arriving from New Delhi and Chennai on Thursday and Friday in Assam and "this will be a major challenge for us", minister said at a press conference here.

New Delhi-Dibrugarh AC train is bringing 219 passengers to Assam while first Krishak Shramik Express to rth East with Vairengte in Mizoram as final destination will have 625 passengers for Assam, he said.

"We will have to handle more than 800 passengers, and tonight will be very challenging for us", he said. All train passengers to Assam, irrespective of ir boarding stations, will be first put in institutional quarantine.

Symptomatic passengers will undergo detailed medical examination at de-boarding station, and, if necessary, y will undergo isolated institutional quarantine facility at de-boarding station. Orwise, y will proceed for institutional quarantine facility arranged by Deputy Commissioner of destination district, according to SOP. Asymptomatic passengers will be handed over to representatives of destination districts for onward journey in officially provided vehicles to district hequarters and n onwards to institutional quarantine facilities.

However, pregnant women, citizens above 75, families with children below 10, disabled persons and those who have to attend funerals will be allowed home quarantine, provided y are asymptomatic.

Assam has reported 22 positive cases during last 24 hours-15 on Wednesday and seven on Thursday, minister said. "I appeal to all t to panic but exercise caution and self-restraint, particularly those who h gone to areas from where positive cases have been reported", Sarma said.

total number of positive cases in state has risen to 86 with 43 active cases, one migrated out of state, two deaths and 40 cured and discharged from hospitals. Seven people, including cancer patients and ir attendants, who h come from Mumbai in a bus along with 136 ors, tested positive on Thursday. "Among positive is a 13-year-old girl who underwent heart surgery and in a first such case, permission has been given to her mor who tested negative to stay with her as an attendant in hospital room," Sarma said.

15 people who tested positive on Wednesday were among 32 contacts of a migrant worker from Uttar Presh, he said. swab tests of 340 direct and indirect contacts of se 15 positive persons have been taken and results areawaited.  "If re are more positive cases from se contacts, situation will be tough for us and we will have to take help of mobile tower data to trace more people who visited area", he said.

Asked about change in status of Guwahati from existing green zone, Sarma said that state government has asked Centre to allow "us t to follow zonesystem but policy of containment and buffer zone so that ecomic activities in or areas of city are t affected".

He said that Guwahati Medical College Hospital which was closed for new patients following a post-gruate medical student testing positive last week, will reopen from tomorrow as more than two thousand samples of his contacts were tested and only two ors were positive. GMCH is also installing a UV-ray machine, imported from Cana, to ensure contamination. "re are very few hospitals in country with this facility. installation is going on and us expected to be completed within next ten days", minister ded.