Assam on Tuesday imposed night curfew across the state from 8pm to 5am till May 1 as part of its measures to contain Covid-19 cases growing rapidly since the beginning of April.

Assam chief secretary Jishnu Baruah said the decision to impose night curfew has been prompted by “rapid increase” in the number of active Covid-19 cases and for the “well-being and safety of the people”.

The overall situation was reviewed following the detection of 3,137 cases out of 73,181 tests carried out on Monday, the positivity rate mounting to 4.29 per cent. Kamrup (Metro) district clocked the most cases at 1,153 with 15 deaths.

That the state government would tighten the Covid safety protocol was evident when cases in Kamrup (Metro) crossed 1,000. The education department on Monday advised the deputy commissioner to shut down all educational institutions, including hostels for 15 days for now.

Education and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma then said deputy commissioners of the remaining 33 districts were authorised to “close down all educational institutions (govt & non-govt) from pre-primary to university levels along with hostels & coaching institutions for 15 days, as and when cumulative #COVID19 cases in last 10 days exceed 300”.

Total active cases as on Monday stood at 17,764, up from 15,470 with a positivity rate of 5.48 per cent on Sunday. A positivity rate above five per cent is a cause of worry.

However, the government has exempted the movement of government officials and those involved in emergency services, in need of medical help and journalists, including those on election duty but on production of valid identity card.

The Congress had moved the Election Commission seeking a direction to the Assam government to exempt contesting candidates, their election agents and representatives/party workers who will be engaged on strong room duty.

“There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement/transportation of essential/non-essential goods. No separate permission/e-pass will be required for such movements,” the curfew order said.

Shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish, animal fodder, pharmaceuticals, medicines and medical equipment have also been exempted along with those going for Covid-19 vaccination.

Apart from preventive measures, the government on Tuesday also announced the scaling up of infrastructure to tackle the growing load of active cases. Health minister Sarma tweeted that a 1,000-bed Covid Care Centre at the Royal Global University in Guwahati will soon become functional.

He also announced the arrival of 4 lakh fresh doses of #CovishieldVaccine & 1 lakh #Covaxin, something which has become a cause of worry with the growing rush of people trying to get vaccinated.

“ Assam has 25,000 vials of Remdesivir in stock which can be used by the NE states. 8 oxygen plants operational in Assam. One plant in Bhutan will be operational with cooperation from Bhutanese govt and MEA, which will provide 50MT per day. We will fight Covid-19 together and win, Sarma tweeted.

Neighbouring Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya too have stepped up efforts to contain the pandemic.

Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh during a video conference with all the deputy commissioners on the Covid situation on Tuesday directed them to “prepare for a possible situation” in the next two months, submit a detailed reports on their activities, preparations and inadequacies to the Principal Secretary (Health), Government of Manipur with a copy to the Chief Minister’s Office.

He also asked the DCs to shift home isolation patients to Covid Care Centres if affected families do not have required amenities like separate toilets and rooms for home isolation, to expedite formation of Covid awareness cum enforcement committees in the Assembly constituencies and do the needful to re-activate Covid Care Centres at the earliest.

Singh also stressed on the need to cross-check Covid negative reports for those entering the state from different entry points and to intensify vaccination, raise more awareness and penalise SoP violators.

On the other hand, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu attended a virtual meeting of all state BJP members to review the Covid-19 situation and to assess its preparedness level.

He said the state government has utilised the first wave of pandemic to strengthen health infrastructure across the state and therefore is well prepared to meet the challenges of the second wave of coronavirus.

Khandu requested all respective district covid management cells of the BJP party to conduct surprise checks at the entry gates to the state to see if Covid protocols were followed.