The Assam government has decided to close down all lower primary schools up to Class V till May 8 in districts having more than 100 active Covid cases.
A notification issued by the secondary education department on Sunday entrusted the deputy commissioners of the districts to take a call on the closure of LP schools and also review the situation from time to time.
However, LP schools in districts with less than 100 cases will function normally.
The government decision comes in wake of rising cases since April 13 with 876 fresh cases and two deaths recorded on Saturday alone, the highest single day rise during the second wave, most of them with travel history.
Kamrup metro, Kamrup, Nagaon, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, Cachar, Tinsukia are the eight districts with over 100 cases till Saturday.
Passengers register their names for the Covid-19 test on their arrival at Guwahati railway station in Guwahati on Saturday. PTI
The first case in Assam was detected on March 31, 2020 and till Saturday 2,23,816 people have tested positive while 1129 have died. At present, there are 4,794 active cases.
Given the surge in positive cases post-elections, the government is set to come up with an updated and stringent SOP by Monday-Tuesday, which will tighten the screws on violators of safety measures like mandatory wearing of masks in public. Defaulters will be fined Rs 1,000.
The three-phase Assembly polls in Assam ended on April 6.
“Moreover, we are requesting Bihu organisers to stick to the SOP and cut down on the celebrations due to the surge, which, if not contained, could became a major problem. District administrations have already got in touch with Bihu organisers,” an official said.
Though Bihu festivities go on for a week, Bihu functions continue till June drawing huge crowd, a huge risk during the pandemic.
The government has also decided to scale up vaccination drive for those above 45 years of age by holding camps in schools, colleges and business establishments having more than 100 employees.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who reviewed the Covid situation in Tinsukia on Sunday, stressed on the need to create mass awareness about maintaining Covid-19 protocols, engaging panchayat members, BDOs, village heads and NGOs in making the people at the grassroots aware about the rising cases and to circulate the health department protocols through public announcements. He also emphasised on the importance of carrying out Covid-19 tests on truckers while creating awareness drives in market areas.
Sonowal will on Monday hold a state-level review of the Covid situation.
In Arunachal Pradesh, governor Brig. (Dr) B.D. Mishra (Retd.) has urged all MLAs, urban bodies and panchayati raj institutions to “proactively participate” in creating awareness on the pandemic, Covid appropriate behaviour (properly wearing mask, maintaining social distancing and frequent washing of hands).
During an virtual interaction with elected representatives on Saturday, Mishra said: “Our leaders must motivate our people to take vaccination and maintain the Covid SOPs.… ”