A “very strict” quarantine procedure is in store for the thousands returning to Assam, with the state seeing a constant spike in its Covid-19 count. The state government has already approached the World Bank to finance its “quarantine” programme.

On Monday, the state recorded its fourth Covid death — a 71-year-old cancer patient and another who died at GMCH prior to detection. Two, including a teenaged girl, had died earlier.

Abhijit Sarma, superintendent of Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, where the late patient’s family are quarantined, said since protocol doesn’t allow anyone to come close to a Covid-deceased, the state government arranged a “last sight” for the septuagenarian’s family from a safe distance on humanitarian grounds. “The wife and son of the deceased saw him for the last time from a distance. It was done on completely humanitarian grounds,” he said. The deceased, who hails from Tinsukia, had returned from Mumbai with his family a few days ago. He died at GMCH in the morning.

The day also recorded 15 fresh cases — seven in Guwahati, four in Golaghat, two in Cachar and one each in Jorhat and Nagaon districts. The state’s Covid count has reached 115 with 68 active cases.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Despite the Covid count going up, the state is still safe because of the success in quarantining incomers and contact tracing of positive patients. Since the current cases were found among quarantined returnees, the state government has decided to conduct a ‘ruthless quarantining with human heart’ programme for those coming back to the state.”

Decoding the programme, Sarma said those in quarantine would not be allowed to step out of their houses or facilities. But, at the same time, the state government will ensure that all essentials are delivered to their doorstep.

The state government has already formed local community groups across the state to keep a watch on people in home quarantine.

In Chirang district in lower Assam, additional quarantine centres or Covid Care Centres have been set up at nine locations for passengers coming from across the country by train.

Chirang deputy commissioner Gautam Talukdar has instructed officials engaged at the Corona Care Centres to arrange for food, drinking water and other facilities for the quarantined. On Monday, 65 train passengers de-boarded in adjacent Kokrajhar district.

Sarma said, “If we have to quarantine one lakh persons in the state and provide them with food, shelter, proper hygiene and other facilities, it will cost around Rs 300 crore. So the state government has approached the World Bank.” The expense of a single person in quarantine for 14 days is around Rs 30,000, he added.

Advocating lockdown relaxation, he said, “The problem is not in opening up but in mixing with infected persons. If we can execute our quarantine programme successfully, then we contain community transmission.”

Sarma appealed to those stranded outside the state to have patience and not rush to the state altogether. This way, he said, the state will be able to give them all proper treatment. So far, almost 48,000 people have returned to the state.

Tripura cases: Two more BSF personnel at Ambassa sub-division of Dhalai district in Tripura were found Covid-19 positive on Monday. The total number of positive cases stands at 169.

Additional reporting by Sarat Sarma in Nagaon, Rinoy Basumatary in Kokrajhar and Tanmoy Chakraborty in Agartala