Assam imposes 12-hour night curfew, total lockdown in Kamrup district from June 28 midnight

A 12-hour night curfew has been imposed from Friday across Assam in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases while a 14-day complete lockdown will be enforced in Kamrup (Metro) district, of which Guwahati city is a part, from June 28 midnight, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced.

A 12-hour night curfew has been imposed from Friday across Assam in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases while a 14-day complete lockdown will be enforced in Kamrup (Metro) district, of which Guwahati city is a part, from June 28 midnight, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced. Additionally, weekend lockdown in other towns and municipal areas will be enforced for two days from Saturday every week till the pandemic lasts, he said.

The situation in Guwahati, the gateway to the northeast, has turned alarming since last week with 762 positive cases reported since June 15. Of them, 677 people do not have travel history though many had come in contact with returnees, the minister told a press conference here. Out of the 276 cases reported in the state the previous day, 133 are from Guwahati, he said.

"We are now left with no choice but to impose complete lockdown for 14 days from June 28 midnight and this time it will be very strict with no grocery shops or supply of vegetables and other essentials for the first seven days," he said. The government will review the lockdown situation in Guwahati after seven days to consider relaxations, Sarma said.

"The situation in Guwahati has turned critical and complex following the unlockdown with people coming out in large numbers, not wearing masks or maintaining social distance, further aggravating the problem. "Most business and commercial establishments have also failed in their social responsibility of ensuring the basic protocols to be followed. The government had no option but to step in with these measures," he said.

This time there will be a total lockdown in Kamrup (Metro) and only emergency services will be allowed, he added. Complete lockdown had been imposed in eleven wards of the city since June 23, but with this, it will be subsumed with the new order, the minister said.

"We understand that lockdown leads to economic hardships but despite reservations we had to take certain and painful decisions," he said. The number of cases in the city are expected to increase further in the next few days and "if this continues, community transmission will spread to the other districts and the situation may be difficult to control", he said.

The number of hospital beds in Guwahati is currently 890 and at the rate the cases are increasing, it "will be filled up in four days and then we will have to take the patients to COVID hospitals in other towns", Sarma said. "Challenges are immense and we are gearing up to tackle them by starting work on a makeshift hospital with 1600 beds at Khanapara area here in the next three days and hopefully this will solve our problem to a great extent," he said.

The state has reported 6646 positive cases so far and out of these 2601 are active cases, 4033 have recovered, nine died and three migrated out of the state. During the lockdown, movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited, all government offices and private offices shall remain closed along with all business and commercial establishments, shops, industrial establishments and trade activities, Sarma said.

All public transport facilities will remain suspended while movement of all private vehicles is banned and all hospitality services will remain suspended. All educational, research, training, coaching institutions shall remain closed, all places of worship will be closed for public and no religious congregation will be permitted and there will be no exception to this.

Spitting in public places is banned and will be punishable with fine and consumption of liquor, tobacco etc in public places are prohibited, Sarma said. Defence, central and state police forces, establishment of the district magistrates, commissioner of police, home guards, civil defence fire and emergency services, disaster management, electricity, water, sanitation and staff of municipal bodies required for essential services will be allowed to function.

Hospitals and retail medical establishments, banks branches with skeletal attendance and ATMs, print and electronic media along with hawkers, telecommunication, internet services, broadcasting and cable services will function. Milk, baby food, medicines and water supply are allowed during specific time area wise. Power generation, transmission and distribution units and services, transportation of essential goods, vehicles of health, fire and law and order and emergency services are allowed.

All transport services and movement of people from other districts shall remain suspended except those related to COVID-19 functions and inter-state movement is also suspended except in case of prior permission. For inter-state and inter-district movement, people holding train or air tickets to and from Guwahati will be allowed after production of tickets.

Hotels which are accommodating quarantined persons, medical and emergency staff, air crew staff and other establishments earmarked for quarantine facilities will operate during the lockdown. All officers of the Joint Secretary rank will attend office at the Secretariat while the Directorate will function with skeletal staff.

Railways, identified petrol pumps and gas agencies, agricultural and tea garden activities shall continue with compliance to social distancing norms. Sarma said that this time around the lockdown will be enforced strictly with the police and district magistrate given the power to invoke legal provisions if they deem it necessary for strict enforcement.