The Assam government has withdrawn all COVID-19 restrictions from 6 a.m. of February 15 in view of the drop in the number of positive cases.
But the notification issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority on February 14 came with a few riders. These include adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour and non-entry of unvaccinated people in public places except hospitals.
The notification said that the district authorities and police should strictly enforce wearing of masks, maintaining social or physical distance, handwashing or using sanitisers frequently.
It said all must produce double dose vaccination certificates before entering public places such as hotels, restaurants, parks, movie halls and buses. The district authorities have been asked to not let the non-vaccinated people into such public spaces barring hospitals.
The mandatory testing (RT-PCR) for incoming passengers at airports, railway stations and road border points has been discontinued. Mandatory testing for patients coming for treatment in medical colleges and hospitals has also been stopped.
But symptomatic patients have been asked to go for COVID-19 testing voluntarily in government hospitals and private healthcare centres in order to prevent the virus from spreading.
The positivity rate in Assam on February 14 was 0.61%, down from a high of 12.92% on January 20.
Assam’s decision one easing COVID-19 curbs is expected to be replicated by the other northeastern States with certain changes according to local requirements. These States are likely to review the COVID-19 status within the next 48 hours for appropriate action.
