14-day lockdown in Assam’s Kamrup starting Sunday

GUWAHATI: A sharp rise in Covid-19 cases among people without a travel history in the past 10 days has forced the Assam government to impose a lockdown in Kamrup Metro district for 14 days beginning 7pm on June 28.

The government will also decided to impose curfew from 7pm to 7am all over the state beginning Friday. Weekend curfew on Saturday and Sunday will be imposed in all urban areas (except Kamrup Metro) from June 27 and will continue till further orders.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the “painful” decision was taken as residents of Guwahati, the state’s biggest city, were not following safety protocols.

“With extreme reluctance, we have decided to impose a complete lockdown in Guwahati from Sunday (June 28) 7pm for 14 days till 6pm on July 12,” Sarma said.

“It will be strictly enforced and only hospitals, pharmacies and laboratories will be allowed to operate,” he said.

Assam saw 677 cases in Guwahati during community testing that started on June 15. On June 25, of 276 cases across Assam, 133 were from Guwahati,” he said.