As Assam’s Covid-19 cases rise, the state government points a finger at Rajasthan. The spat started after May 6, when a bus packed with 43...
As Assam’s Covid-19 cases rise, the state government points a finger at Rajasthan. The spat started after May 6, when a bus packed with 43 passengers returned from Rajasthan’s Ajmer Sharif, which is a red zone, bringing five more cases to Assam.
While one passenger, who showed symptoms of infection, was tested, the others were sent into home quarantine. When the symptomatic passenger tested positive, the rest were sent to institutional quarantine and samples collected. Four more passengers turned out to be infected.
The cases have prompted a reshuffle among key officials in Assam’s bureaucracy, including the labour commissioner, and changes to the state’s testing protocol. All travellers entering the states will now be tested instead of just those showing symptoms. Those from red zones will be given priority.
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed the Ajmer district administration for failing to observe physical distancing norms as it dispatched a busload of people.
It is part of a growing number of rows between states as the mammoth task of helping migrants return home is set in motion. On April 29, weeks after lakhs were left stranded by the sudden lockdown to contain the coronavirus, the Centre announced that inter-state movement for stranded migrant workers would be allowed. In a vaguely worded...
