Assam issues new quarantine rules for women and senior citizen returnees

Guwahati: Amid a mounting number of Covid-19 cases, the Assam state Government has issued a new set of quarantine rules for women and senior citizens above 60 who return to the state amid the outbreak.

According to the new rules, women who have travelled alone to Assam by train or flight will not need to undergo institutional quarantine, provided they are asymptomatic. However, they will undergo 14 days' quarantine at home after compliance with health protocol such as the collection of swab samples for Covid-19 test, hand stamping, conversion of their residences into containment zones, et al. Additionally, senior citizens aged 60 and above who have travelled to Assam by air shall also be allowed to head straight for home quarantine considering they have adhered to the standard operating procedure that has been implaced. These exemptions, however, will not be applicable if the bus/train/flight in which the persons have travelled is found to have Covid-19 patients.

It is worth mentioning here that Assam has so far reported 1,100 cases of the Covid-19. While 125 patients have been discharged, 968 cases remain active. 4 people in Assam have died from the respiratory illness, and 3 persons have migrated. As per reports, around 98% of these have been detected in returnees who have been kept in institutional quarantine as per protocol. 

Now, although the virus has crossed the 1,000 case mark in Assam, the state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma remains confident that health facilities are adequate to treat these patients. "Today we have 800 patients and nobody is in panic because we have the capacity and we are in a position to treat them. We have conservatively kept ready 5,000 beds. Out of that, 500-600 will be dedicated for symptomatic patients. Otherwise also, we will be able to comfortably treat 5,000 patients spreading across Assam", Sarma told the media yesterday.

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