Coronavirus outbreak: Indo-Bhutan border with Assam's Kokrajhar on alert

The Indo-Bhutan border with Assam's Kokrajhar district is on high alert to prevent the entry of any "third country national" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Tuesday.

Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner Partha P Mazumdar said the lone entry point at Saralpara in the district, guarded by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), has been alerted. Screening of people at the Indo-Bhutan border check post has also been heightened, he said.

A medical team has been deployed at Kokrajhar railway station for symptomatic screening of suspected passengers, Mazumdar added. On the upcoming Bodoland territorial elections in April, he said, "We will urge the political parties not to hold large rallies and maintain social distance as per the guidelines of the government to prevent the spread of Covid-19."