GUWAHATI, July 24 - Six more Covid-19 positive patients lost their lives in the span of the last 24 hours, taking the overall death tally in the State to 76. The latest fatalities include Abdul Halim Laskar (75), Alekjan Bibi (55), both from Karimganj, Sarafuddin Ahmed (54) from Nalbari, and Parbati Das (85), Prafulla Sarma (60) and Saroj Kumar Mazimdar (78) from Kamrup (Metro).
After remaining partially open during the last five days as part of the first phase of unlock Guwahati, the capital city will go into complete weekend lockdown mode for the next two days.
Apart from emergency medical services, all services, including grocery shops, will remain closed for the next 48 hours.
In yet another development, inter-district movement between Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup will be allowed during the non-lockdown or non-curfew period.
With several new COVID-19 hotspots being identified in Guwahati and the number of infections continuing to increase, the State health department is preparing itself to face the impending challenge by setting up a number of new makeshift COVID care centres in the city.
The new centres are coming up at the RG Baruah Sports Complex and Sankardeva Kalakshetra, and at some premier educational institutes. Sources said that once these centres are ready, Guwahati will be able to house at least another 10,000 infected patients.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today tweeted that three members of the core team � Pradip Timung, Additional Director, State health department, Dr Saurav Senapathy, Deputy Secretary, health department and Dr Abhijeet Sarma, Superintendent, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital � have tested positive for COVID-19. �Dr Sarma has received plasma therapy,� he added.
So far, of the 28,791 persons who tested positive of COVID-19 in the State, over 20,000 patients have recovered till date, of which 1,349 were discharged yesterday. The number of active patients stands at 8,017.
Assam Police chief Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta informed media-persons that as many as 1,046 Assam Police personnel have so far been infected, of which 730 have recovered. The number of active patient in the police department is 313. Three policemen have so far died in the pandemic.
