GUWAHATI, April 6 - There has been no fresh COVID-19 positive cases in the State since Sunday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today, informing that so far 2,000 samples have been tested, of which 1,809 have been negative for the virus, 26 positive and the results of 165 awaited.
�It is a relief that we have not got afresh case since yesterday,� he told a press conference here.
However, what has created anxiety in the health department is that it has not been able to trace the source from whom Manish Tibrewal of Spanish Garden here got infected. Tibrewal�s contact tracing has led to 112 persons and samples of 98 have been collected so far. Eighty five have tested negative and the results of the others are pending. However, all of them will have to be in quarantine.
�If the remaining also turn out to be negative, it will raise our anxiety further,� Sarma said.
�He had a brief travel history to Shillong as well. We are trying to find out if there are more people with whom Tibrewal came into contact. It is unlikely that he got the virus from Delhi from where he had returned on March 1,� Sarma, who visited Spanish Garden today to take stock of the situation, said.
Disclosing that around 128 people, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin, were still hiding, Sarma warned that if they do not report by today, cases will be slapped against them for �wilful disobedience� for which there are provisions under the National Disaster Management Act.
�The Government of India had given us four lists of 556 people. Local surveillance led to 275 more. Of them 50 have not returned and 100 not linked to the religious meet. So we have to screen test samples of 617 people. But we could collect 491 so far. Around 128 are yet to be traced. We hope the remaining report to us by tonight so that we can complete the process by today. Otherwise, we will take up cases against them,� the minister warned.
Over 75,000 people in the State are under quarantine currently. Their quarantine period will end on April 9. �April 9 will be very crucial for us. If on April 9, these people do not show any symptom, they will be released. It will be a great relief for the government,� he added.
The minister also informed that the State currently has 3,941 PPEs and another 5,000 will be procured by tonight.