Assam's Green District Turns Red After Five Test Positive For Coronavirus

The Assam government has declared one of its green districts as a red zone after it reported five COVID-19 positive cases, taking the overall tally in the state to 42. Bongaigaon was a green zone with no coronavirus case until Tuesday when a 16-year-old girl, relative of a COVID-19 patient, tested positive for the virus.

The other four cases, detected today, neither have any foreign travel history nor connection with any COVID-19 patient. They are also said to have no connection with any primary or secondary contact of a coronavirus positive patient.

A health department cleaner, a field worker in surveillance activities are among those infected, making it the first ever case in Assam wherein healthcare professionals have caught the virus.

A railway staffer and a vegetable seller have also tested positive for the virus.

All the patients, who were tested after they complained of mild fever, have been shifted to a hospital, designated for COVID-19 cases, in Guwahati.

Assam Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said "it's alarming that four cases have been reported from the district in a single day."

"None of them had any travel history nor link with any COVID-19 patients. This is the time when people of the district should help the government with the situation, which at the moment doesn't look good," said Mr Sarma.

Meanwhile, a National Security Guards' (NSG) commando deputed in Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's security has been quarantined after he had a high temperature.

The entire Bongaigaon district has been declared a red zone and several containment areas have been marked out to contain the spread of the pandemic.

Assam now has four red zones - Barpeta, Morigaon , Dhubri and Bongaigaon. The districts of Golaghat and Nalbari have been removed from the red zone category, according to official sources.

The Centre has categorised the country into red, orange and green zones based on the number of coronavirus cases. Red zones are districts with a sizable number of cases or areas declared as hotspots.