GUWAHATI: Assam health minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that there was no possibility of further lockdown in the state as number of daily positive cases have come down to less than hundred.
“There is no possibility of further lockdown in Assam. We can say that Assam is relatively COVID free. Most of the recent cases detected are from the same family. The strict surveillance at airports and railway stations will continue,” Sarma said at a press meet in Guwahati.
He stated that all the educational institutes including lower primary schools have been preparing to reopen for regular classes from January 1.
Addressing Press at Janata Bhawan (Assam Secretariat), Guwahati. https://t.co/NCxNkExvqc
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 25, 2020
On Friday, Assam reported 61 new COVID-19 positive cases, the lowest since May 23.
The total count in the state has reached 2,15,836.
The 61 new cases were detected out of 11,757 tests conducted during the day with a positivity rate of 0.52 per cent, he said. The new cases included 28 from Kamrup Metropolitan district which has recorded the highest number of positive cases in the state.
There has been no death in the state due to the pandemic after December 12 and the total casualty is 1033 and the current death rate 0.47 per cent. Meanwhile, a person who had returned here from the UK tested COVID-19 positive and his swab sample has been sent to National Institite of Virology (NIV), Pune, to ascertain whether it is of the new variant mutant or of the prevalent strain, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The patient is currently in isolation at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital and the details will be provided only after the report is received, Sarma told reporters in Guwahati. “The sample has been sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, to ascertain whether it is of the new variant or the existing strain. We will give the details only after we get the report or else the family comes under pressure”, he said. (PTI)
