Lockdown SOP Extended in Assam Urban Areas till June 5, COVID Curfew will Start from 2 pm in Rural Area

* Average daily death toll in past 15 days in State is over 60

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government has declared curfew from 2 pm in rural areas where shops and other commercial establishments will remain closed from 1 pm with immediate effect.

The Government has taken such a move taking the latest surge in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in rural areas into consideration. In urban areas in the State, the existing SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) will continue till June 5, 2021.

When looked at the COVID-19 positive cases in the State for the past 15 days, it is seen that over 5,535 new cases were detected daily on an average. A large number of new cases have been detected in the rural areas in the past few days. These developments prompted the State Government to impose a ban on inter-district movement in the State from May 21.

According to sources, the State Health Department is worried over the alarming daily death toll in the State even though the positivity rate keeps falling gradually. The COVID-19 positivity rate in the State was 9.27 per cent on May 5 that came down to 5.16 per cent on May 24.

According to official sources, on an average 60 people are dying of COVID-19 after May 8, and a total of 907 people died of COVID-19 in the State in the past 15 days. The department is taking all efforts to bring down the death toll, but to no avail.

A high-level health official said, to bring down the death toll the department has changed home isolation rules by making mandatory admission of 50+ COVID-19 patients into hospitals, engaging senior doctors for night care services, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister visiting hospitals at odd hours at night, but the death toll is not coming down.

GMCH Principal Dr Achyut Baishya said, "We keep on appealing to the people to come to the hospitals as and when they test COVID-19 positive. All facilities are in hospitals. Late admission of patients into hospitals leaves us little time to cure them."

In the first wave of COVID-19 the highest single-day spike on death toll in the State was 23. In the second wave, the highest single-day spike of death toll as of now is 92.

According to the new COVID-19 guidelines meant for the rural areas,

1. All shops and commercial establishments will remain closed from 1 pm,
2. There shall be a total ban on individual movement from 2 pm,
3.  All offices, both government and private ones, will remain closed from 1 pm,
4. Home delivery of restaurants/dhabas will be allowed after 2 pm,
5. Cold storages and warehouses may continue after 1 pm. However, sales counters/showrooms etc., attached to warehouses and cold storages cannot operate after 1 pm, and
6. Whereas in urban areas all shops and commercial establishments will remain closed from 11 am and individual movement is banned after 12 noon. This SOP will continue till June 5, 2021.

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