Coronavirus - Assam Considering "Entry Passes" To Regulate Influx After Lockdown Ends

Coronavirus: Assam is in favour of a "systematic and scientific" withdrawal of the nationwide lockdown.

The Assam government is considering issuing entry permits as a temporary measure to regulate the entry of people in the state after the nationwide lockdown ends. This will be a special entry permit and not on the lines of Inner Line Permit, as required in some of the other north-eastern states but it will be completely "temporary" in nature, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

"We are worried that once the lockdown is withdrawn and interstate transport is opened up again, there will be a lot of pressure since there are hundreds of people from Assam are stranded and would like to take the first opportunity to reach back home. This will mean a huge quarantine exercise. We are developing an app and portal through which we will register the people who want to come. Once we get the number, we will issue temporary entry pass, to regulate the inflow of people till COVID-19 alert is there," Mr Sarma added.

People from other north-eastern states who would like to go to their states through Assam will need a "transit pass" arrangement, he said.

The minister also added that Assam will "support" any proposal by the central government of a "systematic and scientific" withdrawal of the nationwide lockdown.

"We have consulted within the state on what should be the mode of withdrawal of lockdown. We don't want that everything should be opened on 15th morning . We want it to be a systematic and scientific withdrawal of lockdown so that the fruits we got during the lockdown don't go wasted in a single day," Mr Sarma added.

The minister said that in Assam there are no particular "hotspots" as yet, but the cases are "staggered".

"We have 26 cases of which 25 are Markaz-linked (The religious congregation organised in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month). The other case is a Guwahati man. We have created a containment zone for 14 days in the location of the 26 positive cases," Mr Sarma added.