Jorhat:
Panic has gripped Assam's Jorhat distrct homebound from Mumbai after two residents were detected positive for the dreaded coronavirus on Saturday. A hue-and-cry ensued when it came to light that two women aged 36 and 27, who had come to Assam in an ambulance, were tested positive. There was further chaos when Assam Finance and Health Minister Himant Biswa Sarma announced that the driver of the vehicle had also tested positive.
Meanwhile, the DC of the district has urged the residents to not panic and to take preventive measures instead. It needs mention here that the women had come to Assam on an ambulance. The ambulance driver too tested positive for the COVID-19 and is now being treated in Bihar for treatment. He was tracked down on the basis of the location of his mobile phone.
Jorhat DC Roshni Aparanji Korati, addressing mediapersons here said, "Day before yesterday an ambulance came from Mumbai. It had come and brought a boy cancer patient. In that ambulance, there were four people in the ambulance including the drivers. The boy, his mother, aunt, and a cousin had returned from Mumbai."
The DC further informed that the COVID-patients are currently asymptomatic and they are "doing well". "The child cancer patient is also doing well, he is playing", she said, adding that the district administration is looking into what precautions they need to take in regards to diet; Korati further added that "they will recover very soon".
Meanwhile, the district administration has started testing everyone who is coming into Jorhat and no further cases have been detected, confirmed Korati.
Stepping up the fight against the coronavirus, Korati further announced that the district administration "has kept people in temporary quarantine camps".
"If test results come positive, we will shift them to the JMCH. Meanwhile, the positive patients and family members are at the JMCH", the DC said.
She also informed that others are being kept in hotel quarantine and temporary quarantine centres and if results of these people come 'negative, they will be sent with intimation to their native districts.' Presently, there are people from 6 districts in Jorhat, she further divulged to the press.
Meanwhile, the DC has urged the citizenry to take proper precautions so as to stay safe from the coronavirus. "We should be careful, but there is no need to panic and precautions should be taken for our own safety", she said, further imploring the people to only venture out of their homes in "emergency cases".
"People are fighting here on a war footing", Korati said, and further exhorted the members of the citizenry to abide by rules such as the wearing of masks and practicing of hand hygiene to keep the coronavirus at bay.
Late at night on Saturday, Assam Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Facebook and Twitter that three persons, including the ambulance driver who drove them to Jorhat district from Mumbai, tested positive and the driver was sent back to Mumbai.
After receiving criticism over the administration allowing the ambulance driver to return back to Mumbai, Sarma said that the driver has been stopped in Bihar for 'treatment'.
"Actually the driver left for Mumbai and we allowed him to go as he was asymptotic. Now on our request he has been stopped in Bihar for hospitalisation", Sarma said in a tweet.