Lockdown should be last option to fight pandemic: Sonowal

GUWAHATI:  Reviewing the worsening COVID-19 situation in Assam as well as in the locked-down Kamrup Metropolitan District on Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the districts administrations in the state to  consider lockdown as the last option in the efforts to arrest spread of the pandemic.

The CM reviewed the COVID-19 induced lockdown enforced in Kamrup Metropolitan district in a meeting held at Assam Administrative Staff College in presence of other senior ministers.

Chief Minister said that due to the strict implementation of lockdown detection of positive cases among the tested cases had come down from 36% to 16% in Kamrup Metro and hoped that lockdown will help break the transmission chain.

He instructed for providing the essentials to the poor and underprivileged sections of the society during lockdown and encouraged NGOs to do so with necessary permission.

Sonowal stressed on the need to restrict movement of private vehicles to keep the rate of infection of COVID-19 in check.

He called for evaluating the roadside vending of vegetables and other food items as allowing such practices could contribute in the spike of COVID-19 in the district.

He also asked the Chief Secretary and DGP along with Health Department to monitor the situation in rest of the state as well.