Assam Receives 50,000 PPE Kits from China to Fight COVID-19

Guwahati, April 15, 2020:

Assam on Wednesday evening received 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits from Guangzhou, China.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared the development through his Twitter handle. Sarma, accompanied by State Minister Pijush Hazarika received the consignment on Wednesday evening.

"Another BIG reason to cheer! Keeping life first as the motive, we're glad to have imported 50,000 PPE kits from Guangzhou,China. I am happy to receive this special flight along with @Pijush_hazarika at #Guwahati airport just now. A big reassurance for our doctors & nurses," tweeted Sarma.

It may be mentioned here that Assam currently has 32 positive cases of COVID-19, the latest being of a woman from Dhubri district who happens to be the wife of a COVID patient.

The Assam Government has been trying to stock up adequate quantity of PPE kits and other medical aid to support its COVID-19 patients, most of whom are linked to the Nizamuddin Markaz hotspot.

The State Government is also contact tracing the ones who had attended a meeting held at the Athgaon Kabristan Masjid in Guwahati, which is also a hotspot.

In the Northeast region, Assam has the highest number of cases. With 6 new cases and one death, Meghalaya has also sealed its check points and Guwahati-Shillong route.

Manipur and Tripura have two cases each and Nagaland and Mizoram have 1 each. Sikkim is the only State in the region and the country to have zero cases till the filing of this report.

While Assam imported its PPE kits from China, a concerning matter from Nagaland has surfaced. Nurses of COVID-19 Hospital in Dimapur have threatened to discontinue working if they are not provided with proper PPE kits.

With rising cases of coronavirus across the country, the life of doctors have also come into question. Without proper protective measures, the medical staff would be crippled and unable to perform their duties.

Meanwhile, the country is observing its Phase Two of lockdown with stricter rules.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.