Assam Government to allow inter-district travel on July 30 & 31; conditions apply

Guwahati: Providing a window to people who wish to travel between districts for some specific purpose amid the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions, the Assam Government has decided to allow inter-district travel on July 30th and 31st. This announcement was made on July 22, the day the Government imposed a ban on the movement of persons between districts in view of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

"Inter-district movement of citizens is allowed is allowed on 30th and 31st July 2020 in the State of Assam subject to the strict compliances of COVID-19 regulations as detailed in the various guidelines of Government of India", said the Chief Secretary's notice pertaining to the matter. However, the movement will not be allowed in the Containment Zone areas after following social distancing protocols, the Chief Secretary, Kumar Sanjay Krishna, further informed.

This comes after the Assam Government's Chief Secretary had issued a notice restricting the inter-district movement of individuals effective July 22. A notification signed by the Assam State Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna read, "Only emergency service vehicles have been allowed for the inter-district movement."

The prohibition, which was notified by the Assam Chief Secretary on July 18, will remain in force until further orders. Meanwhile, the Assam Police has tightened its security and the entry points are being manned by personnel to ensure compliance of this directive.

The decision to impose the ban on inter-district travel has been taken in view of the dramatic rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in districts across Assam. The infection rate in the state is predicted to reach its peak in the month of August.

Assam finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday predicted that the COVID-19 cases in the state, and especially in Guwahati, is poised to rise at a dramatic rate in the month of August when the virus will be at its "peak". Terming the COVID-19 trend in Assam as an "elastic situation" in a televised interview, Sarma predicted that the number of cases in Guwahati shall rise by 750-1,000 from August 1 onwards. "Since they (the patients) will have to be in COVID Care Centre for 10 days, we will have to be ready with 7,500 to 10,000 slots to accommodate these people in hospitals, COVID Care Centres, Nursing Homes, Home Quarantine, etc", Sarma said.

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