The Assam government has granted the status of ambulance to all oxygen vehicles -- tankers carrying Nitrogen, Argon and Oxygen -- in the state, according to a notification issued today.
The decision was taken to mitigate the medical oxygen crisis and to provide its speedy delivery amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Assam Govt has granted all oxygen vehicles- tankers carrying Nitrogen, Argon and Oxygen - the status of ambulance, to enable their hassle-free movement in state and transit through Assam for speedy delivery of oxygen to critical centres," Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet.
Several states including Delhi and Maharashtra, that have recorded a massive number of COVID-19 cases over the last few days, are battling a critical shortage of oxygen.
Assam has been reporting more than 1,000 daily Covid cases that has forced the state government to take several drastic steps including shutting down of shops in hotspots from 6 pm in the evening and closure of educational institutions in the state.
The Assam Health Minister today also said that people travelling to the state from outside will have to undergo a mandatory seven-day home quarantine amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. However, government officials, those travelling for medical reasons, and people visiting the state in connection with bereavements will be exempted from it, he said.
Mr Sarma said the health department is working relentlessly to ramp up testing by rolling out screening centres in every ward of state capital Guwahati.
Assam reported three more deaths due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, while the number of coronavirus cases rose sharply with 1,651 people testing positive, pushing the total number of infections to 2,27,473.
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