As many as 98 air passengers fled a hospital after landing at Silchar airport to avoid mandatory COVID-19 testing. As per reports, the incident occurred on Friday, two days after 385 air passengers created similar disorder and fled from the airport and a hospital without undergoing the test. The passengers are tested at the Kumbhirgram Airport in Silchar and the nearby Tikol Model Hospital. "On Friday, altogether 511 passengers landed at the airport by various flights, and 76 among them were exempted from testing as they were transit passengers going to other northeastern states", the health department official Suman Choudhury, told PTI. "While 337 passengers were tested at the Tikal Model Hospital where six tested positive for COVID-19 virus, the remaining 98 fled", the official said. The Assam government has made it mandatory for all air passengers arriving in the state to undergo free Rapid Antigen Test followed by an RT-PCR test for ₹ 500 even if the report of the RAT comes negative.
Keeping in view of the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in Arunachal Prades, the government has decided to close all the schools, including hostels, from April 26. As per reports, the internal examinations conducted in the government schools would be counted for the assessment of students. According to the circular, issued by Education Commissioner Niharika Rai summer vacation has been declared for all state-run schools will commence on April 26 and end on May 31. However, teachers and stafferd may be asked to come to school for the internal evaluation work and other offical works, the circular said. Further, the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) will also remain closed.
In a recent development in the ONGC employees' abduction cases, the two abductees Mohinimohan Gogoi and Alakesh Saikia were rescued by troops of the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, and Nagaland Police on Saturday were handed over to Assam Police on Sunday midnight. Addressing the media on Sunday morning, ONGC employee Mohinimohan Gogoi narrated the unprecedented event and said that on April 21 midnight where a group of five militants abducted the three officials. Mohini Mohan Gogoi (35) and Ritul Saikia (33) mare junior technicians (Production), while Alakesh Saikia (28) is a junior engineering assistant (Production) at ONGC. The encounters took place from 10 at night to 2.30 am on Friday between ULFA (I), NSCN, and reportedly 500 armed forces personnel led by Indian Army's 73rd Brigade, 35 Assam Rifles and Nagaland Police. According to Gogoi, prior to the abduction, the officials on site were asked if there were any non-Assamese workers present. On learning that there were only Assamese workers, Gogoi, Saikia, and Retul Saikia were abducted and pushed into an ambulance. Their phones were confiscated and the ambulance was left near a border area from where the abductees were taken by foot.
A fire broke out in Guwahati's Bamunimaidan at Sunday midnight. The fire incident took place at Railway Colony's Daily Market in Bamunimaidan at 1 am. As per initial reports, over 100 vegetables, groceries, and clothes shops were gutted in the fire. Details of more damages and investigation are awaited.
In view of the spiralling cases of coronavirus in the district, Dibrugarh University is conducting an online convocation ceremony on Sunday. During the 19th convocation today, graduates of the varsity between November 1, 2018 and November 30, 2019, will be awarded their degrees. Further, noted litterateur Padmashree Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi will be conferred the Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) Degree (Honorary) for his valuable contribution as a litterateur, critic, academician and social reformer. The Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati Professor Gautam Barua is the chief guest of the university's nineteenth convocation. The virtual convocation is underway on the university website dibru.ac.in and on its official YouTube link youtu.be/5bmm8LpE4gw .
In an attempt to ramp up vaccines in the state, Assam is all set to come up with the production of at least 80k Remdesivir vials every week. The production will be carried out by Sun Pharmaceuticals in Palasbari , Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday. Sarma tweeted: In what shall give comfort to all, pleased to share that I visited @SunPharma_Live plant Palasbari, which has a capacity of 80K #Remdesivir vials production per week. Requested them to speed up production & rollout. They would support Assam as well. The move is a part of the interim allocation of Remdesivir for 19 states and Union Territories up to April 30 by the Health Ministry and the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday said that both he and his wife have tested positive for Covid. Supriyo has tested positive for the virus for the second time. Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Supriyo, is a two time MP from Asansol and contested from Tollygunge where voting has been held. "Both me & my wife have tested positive. Me for the 2nd time!! V Sad that I won't be able to vote in Asansol. I needed to be there on the road too for the 26th polls where "desperate" @AITCofficial goons hv already unleashed their terror machinery to disrupt free & fair polls," Mr Supriyo tweeted.
A total of 35 people belonging to a village in Majuli have tested positive for COVID-19, creating panic among the villagers. The village in question is Nikinikhowa village located in the river island. The cases were detected out of 107 tests conducted today. On the contrary, Majuli reported only four new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. It is considered a big spike today considering Majuli being the least affected district in Assam. Assam as a whole reported 2,236 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths yesterday.
Jibon Asom, a leader of the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), has quit the outfit after spending almost 30 years in Myanmar jungles as the finance secretary of ULFA-I. Jibon Asom cited reasons of "medical grounds" for his decision to retire, to which, ULFA-I agreed and relieved him from all his duties and responsibilities of the outfit. This was informed in an official statement issued by ULFA-I. "Your (Jibon Asom) request for discharge from the outfit to acquire treatment upon reaching home and spending rest of your life with your family has been accepted," the statement read. "You (Jibon Asom) have been honourably discharged from the organisation," it further read. Hailing from Uban village at Kakopathar in Tinsukia, Jibon Asom alias Jibon Moran was a senior member of the outfit and worked as the finance secretary.
Amid the COVID-19 horror in the country, a couple from Kerala has tied the knots in a hospital after the groom tested positive for the virus. According to a news agency, the wedding took place at Alappuzha Medical College and Hospital with the permission of the District Collector. For safety reasons, the bride wore a PPE kit instead of traditional clothes. The rare occasion has offered a moment of calm amid the chaos that has gripped the nation. On Sunday, Kerala reported 28,469 fresh COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths. The active caseload stood at 2,18,893.
The European Union (EU) has extended its support to India amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country which has led to shortage of hospital beds and medical-grade oxygen."The EU together with its Member States will do its utmost to support India in this difficult moment," said Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan. Janez Lenarcic, the European Emergency Response Coordinator today informed that the EU has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism to help India with the COVID-19 crisis."Upon request for assistance by India, we have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The European Union will do its utmost to mobilise assistance to support people of India. Our #ERCC is already coordinating EU MS that are ready to provide urgently needed oxygen and medicine rapidly," Lenarcic tweeted.
In view of rising COVID-19 cases, the Higher Secondary Education Department of Tripura has announced that all semester examinations of undergraduate and post-graduate courses of all universities have been postponed. According to an official notification, it has come into effect immediately.
In a gloomy picture painted across the country, India's coronavirus cases and deaths hit a new record with 3.49 lakh fresh infections. The overall caseload has touched 1.69 crore. Moreover, 2,767 people died in the last 24 hours. Further with the rampant surge in cases, the country's hospitals are having a shortage of beds and medical oxygen leaving many gasping for breath. This is the fourth straight day that India reported over three lakh cases.
In order to ramp up the vaccine production against the fatal coronavirus, 551 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants will come up in public health facilities nationwide. An approval for allocation of funds has been given through PM Cares Fund. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the installation of these plants will be available soon. These plants will be set up in identified government hospitals in district headquarters in various states and union territories. "The basic aim behind establishing PSA oxygen generation plants at government hospitals in the district headquarters is to further strengthen the public health system and ensure that each of these hospitals has a captive oxygen generation facility. Such an in-house captive oxygen generation facility would address the day to day medical oxygen needs of these hospitals and the district," the statement said.
Amid the worsening COVID-19 situation, Bangladesh has sealed its border with India for the next 2 weeks. According to state media, Prime Minister's office of Bangladesh has instructed the ban on entry of Indians till 14 days due to the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in India. Notably, a proposal to close down borders with India was rejected during a cabinet meeting on Thursday.India has been witnessing a disastrous second wave of COVID-19 leading to shortage of oxygen supply and hospital beds. Several countries including Germany, Iran, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and the UAE have suspended flights from India.On Saturday, India reported 3,49,691 fresh COVID cases and 2,767 deaths. The total cases stood at 1,69,60,172.
