Assam to adopt 'ruthless quarantine strategy with a humane heart' to check coronavirus spread

With Assam witnessing a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases ever since inter-state travel was allowed, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that state government will implement a "ruthless quarantine strategy with a humane heart". total number of positive cases in Assam went up to 212 on Friday morning with two more persons found to be infected with coronavirus. Of se, 151 cases are active, while 54 people have recovered. Four persons have died due to coronavirus in state and three have migrated.

Sarma on Thursday h said that with air travel set to resume, re will be more challenges before government as "we will have to deal with people coming in by three modes - ros, rail and air - but we will ensure strict quarantine of all". On May 7, number of positive cases in state stood at 48. se mostly included people who attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi. More than 40,000 people alrey entered state by ro and rail since May 4 and ar 12 lakh are waiting to come. A number of positive cases reported in past few days are from different quarantine centres.

"We have positive patients mostly coming from outside state and cases will increase for which we have to implement our quarantine policy effectively or else it will spre to community," Sarma h said.

Sarma said to ensure that quarantine policy is strictly implemented, "we have opted approach of ruthless quarantine with a humane heart".

"All coming from or states will have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine and n after test results, if found negative, will be allowed home quarantine," he said.

"We are t restricting people from coming back to ir state, but an appeal to m to come in batches over a period of time, so that we can ensure proper quarantine facilities and prevent spre of disease to community," minister ded.

state government has done away with paid quarantine system and will "bear entire cost which will be a huge financial burden, but we are going ahe with it to ensure that it does t spre to community level," Sarma said. Besides stay, state government will spend Rs 500 daily on food of quarantined persons and those sent for home quarantine will also be given Rs 2,000.

" government will bear entire cost but if anybody jumps quarantine, criminal cases will be filed against m and strict directives have been issued to superintendents of police to take immediate cognizance," he said.

community surveillance conducted in 21,499 vills of state found only 20,000 people suffering from fever which is "indeed a very positive health indicator and out of se 4,000 samples were tested, but COVID-19 case was found and this is a very hopeful sign".