GUWAHATI: Assam on Friday declared total lockdown in three districts — Biswanath, Marigaon and Goalpara — and one subdivision (Bokakhat) of Golaghat district for a week from Monday as these places have 247 hotspot areas that have reported more than 10 new Covid-19 cases each every day in the last seven days.
The state government also announced that from now, all incoming passengers from any location carrying certificates of complete vaccination (two doses) need not go through the mandatory RTPCR tests at railway stations and airports in the state.
Health minister Keshab Mahanta said ““There are another 4,581 areas where the number of new cases reported in the last seven days are less than 10 and these areas will be under strict surveillance.” He added that inter-district movement will remain suspended and will be more strictly enforced.
The department announced that the curfew in Guwahati (Kamrup metropolitan district), where the situation is limping back to normal, will start from 4 pm instead of 2 pm now from Monday and all shops, business establishments and offices will have to shut down by 3 pm.
Curfew timing in Haila kandi district has also been relaxed and will start from 5 pm, while shops, business establishments and offices will have to shut down by 4 pm from Monday.
The ongoing partial lockdown in terms of curfew from 5pm to 5am in South Salmara, Majuli, Bongaigaon, Chirang,Udalguri, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Charaideo districts will continue.
In the remaining districts, curfew will start from 1 pm and all shops, business establishments and offices will have to shut down by 12 noon.
“In the meantime, if any area reports more than 10 new cases, the deputy commissioner concerned can declare total lockdown in that area,” Mahanta said.
He added that government employees, who have got atleast one dose of vaccine, can return to their offices, except those women having children less than five years of age in their home, pregnant women and divyang employees, who have been asked to continue working from home.