Share
Bongaigaon (Assam), March 30 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday said his government has written letters to all other states, seeking safety and security of Assamese people stranded there during the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
The chief minister's comment came amid reports that migrant workers across the country were trying to walk back home due to unemployment, lack of shelter and food after the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.
"The Assam government has written letters to all other state governments for safety and security of the Assamese people staying in their states during lockdown period," the chief minister told reporters here.
Visiting Bongaigaon Civil Hospital to review its preparedness for treatment of COVID-19 patients, Sonowal said Assam is taking all the precautions to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Sonowal presided over a meeting to take stock of preparatory measures taken by the district administration to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
He emphasised on taking preventive steps by different departments, including social welfare, public health engineering, food and civil supplies and consumer affairs to deal with the situation.
The chief minister asked Bongaigaon Deputy Commissioner M S Laxmipriya to enforce the 21-day lockdown effectively and provide all essential services to the public during the period.
Terming violations of the lockdown order in several places as "unfortunate", Sonowal said such aberration may trigger unnecessary health hazards in the state.
A total of 2,506 people of different age groups have been advised home quarantine in lower Assam's Kamrup district adjoining capital city Guwahati in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.
No Covid-19 positive case has been reported in Assam so far, an official said on Monday.
According to district Joint Director Health Dr. N S Tishya, 381 people under the jurisdiction of Rangia Block Public Health Centre (BPHC), 322 under Kamalapur BPHC and 122 under Bihdia BPHC have been home quarantined.
A total of 159 beds have been kept ready in five model hospitals in Kamrup district, including 20 beds at Rangia Railway Polyclinic, in case of any eventuality, the health official said.
Meanwhile, the district administration has taken all measures to ensure that the lockdown protocol is followed.
Medical and paramedical staff are on high alert and they are visiting all the wards of the municipal area here, a district administration official said, adding that as per government directive, grocery stores and pharmacies are open for the general public during fixed hours.
Irrigation Minister and local MLA Bhabesh Kalita monitored street sanitisation programmes undertaken by the Rangia civil administration.
He also lent a helping hand to the SDRF team in disinfecting the premises of Rangia PWD inspection Bungalow.