GUWAHATI: Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday took stock of the preparedness at Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh and discussed the preventive measures against the coronavirus outbreak with doctors and professors there.
“The purpose of my visit was to take stock of the preparedness in the medical college in accordance with the protocol set by the Centre, and whether there is sufficient material in the hospital. Very soon, I plan to visit all the medical colleges of Assam and review the measures taken there against the COVID-19,” Sarma said.
The minister, who was accompanied by MLA, Prasanta Phukan and other government officials, said that the government gearing up to deal with and curb spread of COVID-19.
“As of today, there are no positive cases of coronavirus in Assam. However, as people are coming to Assam everyday from outside the state with various symptoms of fever and cough, we have intensified checking and testing at various points of arrival,” the minister said.
He further said that since international flights to the country have been completely stopped now, there was no question of any new foreign tourist arriving in the state. “The foreign tourists already present here are under strict supervision and monitoring,” Sarma said.
The minister also inspected the screening process in Dibrugarh and Jorhat airports and checked all preparations under way to prevent spread of COVID-19. He requested everyone to cooperate with the government and take necessary precautionary steps, including social distancing and personal hygiene.
Flights cancelled
Airports Authority of India sources said that Druk Airways has cancelled its international flight from Paro-Guwahati-Singapore flight from Saturday till March 29, 2020 in the wake of COVID-19.
“Spicejet has suspended four flights, two in the Kolkata-Dibrugarh-Guwahati route and two in the Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Kolkata route from March 24 to 30, 2020 while Indigo flight from Agartala to Chennai via Guwahati (6E 119) stands cancelled from March 22 to 28, 2020,” sources said.
Meanwhile, a five-day awareness camp against coronavirus is being organized jointly by the AAI and UNDP at the LGBI Airport here from Thursday.
“The effort is to spread the word of personal hygiene, cough etiquettes, effective hand washing techniques, hygienic public behaviour, and the need to seek immediate health care if any symptoms of fever, dry cough and difficulty in breathing arise,” a statement issued here said.
“The camp is for the arriving passengers from various locations, police and security personnel, traffic police, cleaning staff and other staff representatives from the airport. Moreover, a focused intervention with the cab/taxi drivers outside the airport is another major target group,” it said.