india

Updated: Apr 26, 2020 16:31 IST

Eight more Covid-19 patients in Assam were discharged from two hospitals on Sunday after testing negative. Assam now has only seven active cases of Covid-19, health and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

While four patients were discharged from Golaghat civil hospital in Golaghat district, four others were released from the Mahendra Mohan Chowdhury Hospital (MMCH) in Guwahati.

“With this the total number of Covid-19 patients recovering in hospitals comes down to seven. Of the total 35 patients in the state, 27 have been discharged and one has died,” Sarma said.

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However, the status of the first patient of the state, a 52-year-old from Badarpur who is undergoing treatment at Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) who tested positive on March 31, continues to remain positive after repeated tests. The patient also suffers from diabetes and cancer.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the state government decided to allow two-way inter-district travel for three days starting April 28.

Sarma said that the move will allow people having own their vehicles to travel across the state to pick up children and family members who were stranded due to the lockdown.

From Saturday, the government had allowed stranded people to use their own vehicles to reach their homes or workplaces with prior permission from district authorities. Nearly 27,000 availed the opportunity on the first day. It will continue till Monday.

“Over 34,500 of the applications received were from those who wanted permission for two-way travel. We have decided to allow them to travel for three days beginning April 28,” Sarma said.

Till Sunday Assam government has transferred a sum of Rs 2,000 each to accounts of nearly 2 lakh people from the state working in other states stranded due to the lockdown.

The helpline number for the same had received nearly 6 lakh calls from all over the country. Of them, 3.25 lakh had filled online forms and given details of their bank information.

“We will be able to provide relief to nearly 3 lakh applicants by the end of this month. Another instalment of Rs 1,000 each will be sent to them next month,” Sarma said.