Many lockdown relaxations from May 4: Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that on Sunday the State government will make public the lockdown relaxations that are set to be effective from May 4.

Talking to the media here on Saturday, Sarma said, "Since most of the districts in the State have been tagged as green zones, we're preparing details of relaxations now. Based on the situation in the State, we're going to relax the lockdown in many areas so as make economic activities in the State to continue. However, we need to be careful. A meeting at the Chief Secretary-level was held on the proposed relaxations today. It will be finalized at a meeting with the Chief Minister tomorrow."

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has tagged three districts of Assam – Dhubri, Morigaon and Goalpara – as 'Orange' zones and the other 30 districts as 'Green' zones. However, the recent detection of five corona positive cases in Bongaigaon district has led Dispur to treat it as a 'Red' zone on its own even as no such directive has been received from the Union Ministry to this effect.

Sarma further said, "We're going to make a number of relaxations. ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) buses are going to run regularly with 50 per cent capacity. We're also going to let other buses, including long-distance ones, run in the State."

On coronavirus, Sarma said, "We can feel free from corona only after vaccines are developed. Though the recovery rate in Assam is higher than the national and global rates, yet we need to remain alert. The recovery rate of corona patients in Assam is 76 per cent, against 26 per cent at the national and 31 per cent at the global levels.

"We've conducted more than 10,000 corona tests in the State. Since thousands of people are now set to return from the other States, we're contemplating on involving private hospitals as well in the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) mode for conducting the corona tests."