Tinsukia admin bans back and forth journey from Kamrup (M) amid COVID crisis

Guwahati: Due to the steady and alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in the Kamrup (M) district which has emerged as the new epicentre of the virus in Assam, the Tinsukia district administration has imposed restrictions on the back and forth journey of people between Kamrup (M) and Tinsukia.

"All heads of department shall ensure that no back and forth journey of officials and staff of their department to Kamrup (M) shall take place until further order. Any such unauthorized movement must be immediately brought to the notice of the undersigned for further necessary action from this end. However, if there is any such movement due to emergency/exigency from Kamrup (M) to Tinsukia, the concerned persons will be subjected to strict home quarantine after screening/swab testing as required at designated location in district", the Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner wrote in his order, laying down the rules.

The DC in the order further added that this decision has been taken in the "interest of maintenance of public health, hygiene, and safety of the general public.

This move of the Tinsukia administration has been triggered by the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases across Guwahati, the largest city in Assam, and a thriving commercial hub. Yesterday, 552 COVID-19 cases were again detected in Guwahati City alone.

The city which has officially reached the 'pandemic stage' is currently under lockdown and the period will last till at least July 10. Another lockdown in Guwahati would be inevitable if the situation continues to worsen, Assam finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed in an interaction with the press on Sunday. Sarma further added that the subsequent decision regarding lockdown shall be deliberated upon, either on the coming Wednesday or Thursday.

Over the last 10 days, Kamrup metro has seen 2,741 fresh COVID-19 positive cases, all without any travel history. Besides, about 800 positive cases were identified in Guwahati alone on Saturday, making it the greatest spike up until now. When subjected to Rapid Antigen Tests on Sunday, 125 COVID-19 positive cases were found in Guwahati on Sunday, the Health Minister further informed the press

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