GUWAHATI: The Assam health department has been getting ready to screen and arrange quarantine for around 3, 30,000 people who are coming from other states. Assam health minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that around 10 thousand people will come from other states to each district of Assam in next 45 days.
“When under ‘Assam Cares’ initiative we provided financial aid to the people stranded in other states, we came to know that there are around 6 lakh 12 thousand people from Assam. Around 10 thousand people in average are likely to come to each district in next 45 days,” explained Dr. Sarma.
The Assam health department has made massive arrangements for the screening and quarantine of these incoming people. It has set-up five zonal screening and quarantine centres at Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat, Kokrajhar and Silchar. Assam health minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday visited Jorhat to review the preparedness regarding screening and quarantine facilities.
“As Jorhat is the entrance to upper Assam, first we are screening the people at Jorhat and sending the samples to Jorhat Medical College or Dibrugarh. We send them to home marking quarantine stamp if they test negative. We inform the deputy commissioner (DC) of the respective district immediately after sending the people to home” said Dr. Sarma.
Minister Sarma also stated that the authorities will seek community engagement to ensure home quarantine of the people coming from other states.
“We have decided to engage social organisations. There will be a small committee in every village and town where people are under home quarantine. DC will share the list of the people with the committee. We have planned to make home quarantine successful with the involvement of the people,” he added.
Dr. Sarma also maintained that decentralisation will be done for the people who would come by train from May 12. They will be sent to their respective constituency or locality instead of keeping all of them at a particular quarantine centre. They will be discharged after 14 days if they show no symptom. People with symptoms will be brought to zonal screening centre.
