Guwahati witnesses 1st stage of community transmission: Pijush Hazarika

June 24: The condition of Guwahati has continued to worsen from day-to-day. COVID-19 cases continued to be detected from across Guwahati, prompting the government to admit that the city was in grip of the first stage of community transmission of coronavirus. This was stated by Minister of State Pijush Hazarika on Wednesday.

Hazarika urged people in other parts of the state not to visit the city amid burgeoning cases. He said that a community spread has already been witnessed, as several persons without a travel history have tested positive. He also indicated that the state government might clamp a total lockdown in Guwahati if the Covid-19 cases continue to spike upwards.

The large scale spread of COVID-19 affected cases among the general public of certain areas of Guwahati City  has posed as a major threat to public health, hygiene and safety of the general population. It is in this backdrop that the Chairman of the State Executive Committee of Assam State Disaster Management Authority, in exercise of the powers, conferred under Section 22(2)(h) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, issued directives to Commissioner of Police, City and District Magistrate, Kamrup Metropolitan District to enforce total lockdown in many areas. This order came into force in the 11 wards of Guwahati with effect from 9 PM  of 23 June, 2020 and shall remain in force until further orders.

On Wednesday, 226 new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Assam. With this, the state tally has gone upto 6282, out of which, 2508 are active cases. Till now, 3762 patients were discharged in Assam. This information was shared by State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a tweet at 7.20 PM on Wednesday. The minister, however, refrained from providing the district-wise break up of the 226 new cases detected on Wednesday.