Guwahati: With the detection of 24 more COVID-19 cases at the Governor's House (Raj Bhavan) in Guwahati, Assam, the virus caseload at the Governor's office-cum-residence has increased to 70.
According to reports, the COVID-19 infection at the Governor's House first began when 2 security men tested positive. Following this, samples of around 200 people (including Governor Jagdish Mukhi) were taken and sent for testing. Soon after, more samples tested COVID-19 positive, giving rise to alarm. A generator operator and a computer assistant working at Raj Bhavan were tested positive. On July 4th, in view of the prevailing situation, Raj Bhavan was declared a containment zone.
However, even after the campus was sealed off, the virus caseload at the residence continued to . On July 6th, the number of positive cases reported was twelve which included four CRPF men, the Governor's doctor, and his laundryman. Interestingly, the laundry man who had tested positive was working even after giving his samples for testing on July 1.
IAS officer SS Meenakshi Sundaram, commissioner and secretary to the governor was also tested positive ten days later. Thereafter, a total of around 45 staff and security personnel of Raj Bhavan tested positive for the COVID-19.
Assam's biggest city Guwahati, as well as the rest of the Kamrup Metro district, is witnessing an alarming spike in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases every day despite a total lockdown for over two weeks. Apart from the Raj Bhavan, other places of note such as the Secretariat and Central Jail have also reported cases, with senior bureaucrats, police officers, doctors and jail inmates contracting the contagion.