No Lockdown Relaxation in Red Zone Districts of Assam, Confirms Govt

Dispur, April 27, 2020:

The Assam Government has said that there will be no lockdown relaxation in Red Zone districts in the state, namely: Dhubri, Golaghat, Nalbari, Morigaon and Goalpara, and their adjoining areas (within a 5 km radius).

This decision was taken at a meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by the Chief Minister of the state, Sarbananda Sonowal, at Janata Bhawan, Guwahati.

ALSO READ: Breaking: Governor’s Rule Imposed in ‘Bodoland Territorial Council’ of Assam

Situation arising due to COVID-19 outbreak was discussed and several important decisions were taken in the meeting, official sources said.

Meanwhile, in the Green Zone districts, standalone shops in rural areas will be open from April 28. However, markets will remain closed.

Kumar Sanjay Krishna, the Chief Secretary of the Government of Assam said, "Only stand alone shops in rural areas in green and orange zones (except containment areas) will open. No Bazar or haat will open. For urban areas, it will be reviewed on 3 May. No rural shops within 5 km of boundary of Red Zone will be allowed."

ALSO READ: Tripura: Accidental Deaths in Agartala Record Drastic Dip amid Lockdown

At the same time, the Assam government has again extended the inter-district movement of people within the state till May 2, one day before the lockdown ends. Stranded people can apply online for permissions to move towards their native districts.

Note: 'Red Zones' comprise of places with major outbreaks of the coronavirus while orange include places where new cases are emerging or showing a sign of decline. Extremely strict containment measures are bieng taken in 'red zones' while the administration will try to reduce the number of new cases in 'orange zones'.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.