Guwahati, Feb 14: Inbound air, rail and road passengers besides patients coming to the medical college hospitals and other hospitals for emergency/OPD services in Assam no longer have to undergo COVID-19 tests from Tuesday.
The Assam health department has discontinued the protocol of mandatory COVID-19 tests on arrival at airports, railway stations, and road border points, from February 15, 2022.
“However symptomatic patients are requested to test for COVID for diagnostic purposes voluntarily, at any recognised COVID testing facility,” according to a revised set of guidelines issued, in partial modification of previous orders, by the department on Monday.
“Mandatory testing for COVID for any patient coming to the medical college hospitals and other hospitals for emergency/OPD services shall be discontinued (from Tuesday). However, symptomatic patients may be requested to test for COVID for diagnostic purposes, as applicable,” the notification said.
“These instructions are issued in better public interest in view of the evolving situation of COVID pandemic and shall be liable for change(s) if required as per the SOPs/guidelines issued by Government of India and eventual situation of COVID-19 in the country/state,” it stated.
“Voluntary testing facilities for COVID-19 are available across the state in both government and private health institutions, to provide standardised COVID test reports within 24 hours and upload the same on the ICMR portal for cross verification,” the notification added.
It may be noted that in view of the COVID positivity rate decreasing gradually in the state, the Assam government had earlier announced that all forms of restrictions, including night curfew, would be lifted from mid-February onwards.
The state logged just 79 COVID positive cases against 9,533 tests done with the positivity rate dipping to 0.83 percent on Sunday.
“Educational institutions, from primary to secondary levels and beyond, will resume classes from mid-February. Malls can function without any restrictions while cinema halls too will be permitted to function with 100 percent capacity, provided people are fully vaccinated, wear masks and use sanitisers,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said.