26 corona cases in Assam; Health Minister hints action against ‘silent carriers’ of virus

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In order to put an end to the menace of ‘silent carriers of coronavirus’ in the State, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appealed to all the Nizamuddin returnees to the State to come forward for coronavirus test on their own; failing which, the government will have to take police action to find them out from Sunday onwards.

Talking to the media here on Saturday, Sarma said, “So far while 26 people have tested corona positive in the State, 24 of them are returnees from Nizamuddin or their associates. We’ve tested 812 samples of Nizamuddin-related people so far. While 24 of them have tested corona positive and 363 tested corona negative, the results of 152 cases are awaited.

“In the State as a whole, we’ve tested 1,529 samples. Of them, 25 people have tested corona positive, 1,308 tested corona negative and the results of 196 people are awaited.”

According to the Minister, nine of the 26 people testing corona positive are from Golaghat, four each are from Nalbari and Morigaon, three from Goalpara and one each is from Kamrup, Guwahati, Karimganj, North Lakhimpur and South Salmara.

On the corona positive case in Guwahati, Sarma said, “A resident of Spanish Garden at RG Baruah Road, might have got infected somewhere in Guwahati, not in Delhi. He came to Guwahati from New Delhi on March 1, and corona symptoms showed after 21 days only. Had he got infected from the virus in New Delhi, the symptoms would’ve shown within 14 days. Anyway, the swab samples of 111 people — including his family members with whom he was in contact — have been taken. They have also been quarantined. This apart, Spanish Garden, having 150 flats, has been sealed as a contaminated zone.”

On the possibility of more Tablighi Jamaat members returning to the State and staying without informing the administration, Sarma said, “We’re receiving information regarding more than our assumed number of Tablighi Jamaat members returning to the State from Nizamuddin. We’ve requested the Tablighi Jamaat authorities to give us a list; but their response is not forthcoming as yet. If there are more such returnees from Nizamuddin, they’re likely to be silent carriers of the virus. I appeal to them to come forward for corona test on their own, failing which we’ll have to take police action from Sunday onwards. If they don’t cooperate and the government also doesn’t take action, it will be very difficult on our part to prevent social transmission of the virus.”

The first corona positive case was reported on March 31 in Assam. Sarma also said that the first batch of doctors and nurses of Sonapur District Hospital, MMCH (Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital) and the GMCH (Gauhati Medical College and Hospital) who swung into action from the very beginning will be quarantined from April 7. “They’ll be quarantined for 14 days at Hotel Taj,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, L&T will start the construction of five pre-fabricated hospitals very soon.

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