Spurt in COVID-19 cases
Staff Reporter
Guwahati, April 4: In the wake of rising COVID-19 infections in some states of the country, the State Health Department has decided to tighten screening of passengers travelling to Assam from outside.
All air passengers from Mumbai and Bengaluru disembarking in any airport in Assam will mandatorily need to carry a COVID negative RT-PCR report, conducted within 72 hours prior to the journey. The test report should be verifiable using QR code or otherwise, a State Health Department order said.
The airliners have been asked to allow boarding to only those passengers at Mumbai and Bengaluru who are carrying a negative RT-PCR report. The order
will come into effect from April 9.
Those passengers who do not carry a “satisfactory” RT-PCR report will have to undergo a paid COVID-19 testing at airport and will have to wait in a designated location inside the airport at his own expense till the test result is available.
Besides, all passengers arriving in trains originating from or transiting through Maharashtra and Karnataka will undergo screening for symptoms on arrival in railway stations in Assam. All symptomatic passengers will undergo COVID-19 test as per protocol.
There will also be random rapid antigen tests of passengers from among those found to be asymptomatic.
In a separate order, protocol for contact tracing of positive patients have been
revised.
Meanwhile, the Health Department has revised the rates for RT-PCR and RAT tests. RT-PCR test in hospitals will cost Rs 500, while RAT test will cost Rs 250. In case of RT-PCR, if the sample is collected from home, it will cost Rs 700. Cost of test at airports will also be Rs 500.
Positive cases in Assam too have been on a rising trend. Yesterday, 68 new cases were detected out of 16,024 tests conducted. Two weeks back, the State was getting 15-20 cases on average. The number of active cases too has been rising and has reached 598, from around 300 two weeks back.
