Assam makes COVID test compulsory for air/train passengers from Mumbai, Bengaluru
Assam health minister Himanta Sarma's 'No need to wear mask coronavirus has gone' comment draws flak
Guwahati, Apr 4: A day after Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that there is no COVID in the state and hence no need to wear mask now,the health and family welfare department Sunday issued fresh notifications for mandatory testing of air and train passengers coming to the state from Mumbai and Bengaluru to check the spread of virus.
Separate orders have been issued for air and train passengers and the rates for COVID testing by the department's Principal Secretary Samir Sinha.
The minister had on Saturday said that there is no COVID in Assam and so there is no need to wear a mask now which triggered widespread criticism.
Subsequently Sarma tweeted, "those who are making fun of my statement on mask, must come to Assam and see how we have contained COVID-19 in comparison to states like Delhi, Kerala and Maharashtra along with an impressive recovery of our economy".
"We will celebrate Bihu also with the same enthusiasm this year", he added.
Bihu, the Assamese new year is falling on April 14.
According to the order issued, all air passengers from Mumbai and Bengaluru disembarking in any airport of Assam will mandatorily need to carry a negative RT-PCR report, conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey and the test report should be verifiable using QR code or otherwise.
Airlines would allow boarding to only those passengers at Mumbai and Bengaluru who are carrying the negative RT-PCR test report.
Any passenger from these two cities who arrive without satisfactory RT-PCR test report will have to undergo paid COVID-19 testing at the airport and will wait in designated location inside airport premises at his own expense till the test result is available.
If the test is positive, the passenger will have to shift to home isolation or hospital, according to the treatment protocol and this order comes into force from April nine.
All passengers, arriving in trains originating from or transiting through Maharashtra and/or Karnataka will undergo screening for symptoms on arrival in railway stations in Assam.
All symptomatic passengers will undergo COVID-19 test and there will also be random Rapid Antigen Test of passengers from among those found to be asymptomatic.
If the test is positive, the passenger will be shifted to home isolation or hospital, as per treatment protocol and this order comes into force with immediate effect.
Regarding contact tracing of COVID-19 positive patients, an order passed to ensure that at least 20 to 25 contacts should be identified who have been exposed to the infected individual.
Apart from rapid antigen test, RT-PCR test should also be carried out for the identified contact in case the rapid test is negative, the order stated.
The health departmen thas also fixed the maximum rates chargeable by NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories ) and ICMR approved private sector laboratories in the state and this ranges from Rs 500/- for RT-PCR samples collected at the labs, Rs 750 for samples collected from home and Rs 250 for rapid antigen test.
The maximum rate chargeable for RT-PCR test at the airports in the state has been fixed at Rs 500 for all approved laboratories.
Assam reported 68 new cases during the last 24 hours with no deaths, taking the total COVID positive cases to 2,18,601 and the death toll to 1107.
There are currently 598 COVID cases in the state with 2,15,549 recovered patients discharged so far.
The state has so far conducted 72,71,998 cumulative tests.
Those who are making fun on my statement on mask, must come to Assam and see how we have contained COVID-19 in compare to the states like Delhi, Kerala, and Maharashtra along with impressive recovery of our economy.We will celebrate Bihu also with the same enthusiasm this year
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 4, 2021
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
