Assam's tea gardens & villages having higher rate of COVID infections now, reveals Health Minister

GUWAHATI: Even though the rate of COVID-19 infections is going down in urban areas of Assam, cases have worryingly spiralled up in the rural areas and in tea gardens.

This was revealed by Assam's health minister Keshab Mahanta during an interaction with the press earlier today.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside.assamese/videos/417132462765598

"Even in the 7 districts (where total lockdown has been imposed), cases are dipping in the town areas. If there is a rise, it is in the tea garden areas, it is in the rural areas," Mahanta told media.

Mahanta said that experts have been asked to unravel the mystery behind the surge in the cases in these cases.

The minister said that the government has asked experts to find out why the cases have been increasing in these areas now.

ALSO READ: 34,000 children in Assam infected with coronavirus; 38 dead: Health Minister

"In Sonitpur, for instance, 70%-80% of tea garden workers have been inoculated. We are planning such steps for the other gardens also."

Mahanta also said that COVID Care Centres have been set up in villages and tea gardens so that people are not compelled to isolate at home and can instead be under the watchful eyes of doctors.

With the number of COVID-19 cases starting to show a steep decline, Assam’s health department today issued the new set of SOPs to be followed in the next phase of lockdown in order to minimize the spread of the virus.

Addressing media personnel here, Assam’s health minister Keshab Mahanta said that as many as 7 districts (Goalpara, Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, and Morigaon) will be put under total containment as the rate of infections is still very high there.

“Apart from these districts, the district administrations have been given the responsibility to declare areas with a high positivity rate as containment zones. After declaration as containment zone, there will be total testing and vaccination in these areas,” Mahanta said, adding that the government will provide ration worth Rs. 2,000 to the people in these areas.

Follow us on Facebook