KALAIGAON, March 23 - In view of the possibility of an outbreak of COVID-19 in Udalguri district and the arrival of a large numbers of Assamese youth working in other states, the Udalguri district administration has taken up various steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
So far, three suspected cases in the district have been found to be negative, to much relief of the district administration. The coordinated timely preventive action taken by various departments � police, health, food and civil supplies, transport, DIPRO, etc. � have been appreciated by the people.
Talking to this correspondent, Deputy Commissioner Prakash Ranjan Gharphalia thanked all the government departments, media houses and people for their support and cooperation in the fight against COVID-19.
According to him, the unaccounted arrival of a large number of people working in other states like Karnataka, Maharastra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu has been a serious issue. He requested people to immediately report such arrival to the administration without any delay.
He said the district administration has made sufficient provisions for quarantine of all suspected cased till test results are out. The administration has requisitioned three private lodges in Udalguri town to accommodate 60 infected people at a time.
The administration has also reserved an NDFB designated camp on the way to Bhairabkunda, which was vacated by the NDFB cadres after formal dissolution of the outfit. The camp has been reserved as a quarantine centre, and 150 infected people can be accommodated there. In government civil hospitals too, more isolation wards have been arranged,� the Deputy Commissioner said.
Moreover, all weekly markets in the district would be closed till March 29, and public entry to government offices too have been restricted. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been promulgated in the district since March 22. Shopping malls, salons and gymnasiums have been ordered to be closed till March 29. Tea garden managements have also been directed to arrange quarantine of labourers and their visiting relatives if infected. All gaonburahs have been asked to report arrival of people from other states.
Six surveillance teams � one each at Lalpani (near the Assam-Arunachal border), Samrang (near the Assam-Bhutan border) and the Bhairabkunda meeting point of Assam, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh � have been equipped with thermal scanners.
The government has provided most of the essential items like protective face masks, hand sanitizers, etc., to the district administration. But sufficient protective gowns are still not available in the district, the DC said.
