Assam withdraws exemption of COVID testing for vaccinated people

The Assam government has withdrawn its earlier order exempting mandatory COVID-19 testing for air and train passengers who have received both doses of the vaccine, an official order said.

The decision to withdraw the exemption was taken after cases of persons testing positive for COVID-19 even after having taken both doses of the vaccine were detected in the state.

The notification issued on Thursday by the Health and Family Welfare department said the earlier order of June 25, 2021, stands withdrawn with immediate effect.

The earlier order had exempted those travelers who had taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from mandatory testing for infection at airports and railway stations.

'' ... COVID positivity is observed even in some of the person(s) who have received two doses of vaccination in a few instances,'' the latest notification said, prompting the withdrawal of the exemption.

Continuous screening of all incoming passengers at airports and railway stations is being conducted in the state since the first wave of COVID-19 last year.

The overall COVID-19 case tally in the state has reached 5,42,445 and deaths 4,937, while the number of recovered persons so far is 5,17,041 with an overall recovery rate of 95.32 percent, as per National Health Mission, Assam, latest data on Thursday.