COVID-19: Assam Chief Secretary promises 'visible action' against rule violators from Monday

Guwahati: A day after warning of another lockdown in Guwahati if citizens do not abide by the new laws of the land, Assam's Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna has promised "visible action" against those found violating the "norms of social distancing or found not wearing a mask."

"It has been noticed that people are not following precautionary steps and are violating COVID-19 Protocols. From Monday onwards there shall be visible strict action taken against those who violate the norms of social distancing or found not wearing a face mask," the Chief Secretary wrote in his warning message.

Despite the Government's directive to the people of Assam to don masks at all times, the prevailing attitude seems to be one of 'evasion.' Although people do keep masks handy in case a police patrol comes knocking, it has generally been seen that most people remove the covering when officials aren't around.

Thus, instead of becoming protective equipment, as they are originally designed to become, masks for the denizens of Assam has become a cumbersome accessory. Add to that the crippling heat, and the habit of wearing masks remains a non-culture in Assam.

Worried by the persistent surge in cases the state government has warned people of another lockdown if they do not adhere to guidelines. The Chief Secretary yesterday sent shudders up many citizens' spine after he uttered the dreaded word yesterday: "lockdown."

"If the people do not wear masks and the number (of coronavirus cases) continues to spike upwards, the Government of Assam might be compelled to impose yet another lockdown. Although that is not a course that we wish to take, if the numbers do not dip, we will be forced to take drastic measures yet again," Sanjay Krishna proclaimed, leading to immense panic as the slumping economy is yet to be resuscitated post-lockdown.

Meanwhile, Assam's health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has proclaimed that the state's health machinery is strained to the max as far as the procurement of oxygen for patients under treatment for the pulmonary ailment is concerned. If the number of cases continues to soar, Sarma said, the state could eventually be staring at the possibility of yet another lockdown. Thus, Sarma said, people should abide by all the rules as prescribed by the government.

Assam Coronavirus Update:

Assam crossed the one lakh coronavirus cases mark on Friday, with 2,560 new infections detected within 24 hours. Close to 300 fatalities have been attributed to the virus so far, with eight of those deaths reported yesterday.

Of the state's 1,01,367 Covid cases, 21,771 are active cases, while nearly 80,000 have been discharged from hospitals and medical facilities after receiving treatment.

Also Watch: #NewsMakers: Re-Opening Education Institutes Issues & Challenges