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Night curfew likely to continue across Assam
Guwahati: Assam is unlikely to shed the ongoing night curfew, despite the Centre's guidelines to lift the curfew that was originally imposed to combat the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
According to reports, the Assam Government wishes to continue with the night curfew along with other restrictions to keep a check on the virus outbreak. Apparently, with the situation taking a turn for the better, the Assam State department does not wish to be confronted with another surge.
The night curfew in Assam came into effect on March 25, along with the rest of the country. In some districts, where the number of transmissions is higher, the curfew hours are longer.
The coronavirus situation is currently being assessed by the Assam health department, who will decide which course to take at a meeting to be held on August 2.
However, Assam finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has been at the forefront of the fight against the dreaded virus, stated that the restrictions will be continued, at least until August 15.
"I feel that till August 15, we have to alternate between limited unlock-lockdown. Although we are gauging the situation, we feel that the restrictions will remain in force till August 15. The situation is slowly returning to normalcy, so we do not wish to let it once again spiral out of control and express caution", Biswa Sarma told media persons yesterday.
This comes after the Centre, in its directives on the next phase of the unlock, states that the night curfews must be lifted.
Envisaging a return to "normalcy", especially in regards to economic activities, the Centre has allowed gyms and yoga centres to reopen on August 5. However, the schools and educational institutions, metros, etc, shall remain closed due to the ongoing pandemic situation.
The emphasis this time has been placed on completely restricting activity inside the coronavirus containment zones, which shall remain under scrutiny, at least until August 31. The Centre has given the states and Union Territories some amount of autonomy, especially in regards to imposing restrictions as and when they may deem fit.
Although the situation has been improving gradually in Assam (and especially in Guwahati) in regards to coronavirus cases, the Central Government has prognosticated that the biggest boom will be witnessed in the month of August.