The Lakhimpur district administration has asked all the members of the Bihu function organizing committees to undergo RAT and RTPCR tests.
Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner Khargeswar Pegu while speaking to reporters said that all Bihu function organizers should create a three-layered audience system with multiple entry and exit points.
“The three layers of seating system should have young and old audiences on the front rows with face masks and other Covid protocols of sanitization and distance of six feet followed by audiences on ascending order of ages,” DC Pegu said.
The DC also appealed to the Bihu committees to make it mandatory for every performer to make Covid safety announcements in every break of their shows.
The Lakhimpur district authority has already imposed Covid restrictions with effect from April 20, making the wearing of face masks compulsory and banning spitting on public places.
In an order vide no. LMJ.12/2020/100, dated April 19, 2021, the Deputy Commissioner decided to impose a fine of Rs. 1000 for any violation of this restriction under Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The Lakhimpur DC further informed that the district had 11 thousand vaccines from April 1 of which 4300 have been administered so far in this month and 6700 are remaining till today.
DC Pegu further said that 39210 persons including health workers, security personnel and polling personnel of the recent assembly elections had so far taken the first dose of Covid vaccine in Lakhimpur district while 10816 had had the second dose.
Meanwhile, Lakhimpur’s tally of Covid-19 positive cases has risen to 54 till Tuesday.
Six of the affected persons have been admitted to hospitals while 48 are in home isolation.
Three of the infected persons of Covid-19 in Lakhimpur district so far have no travel histories.
In another development, the Kendriya Vidyalaya in North Lakhimpur has been closed till May 7 following the detection of a teacher with Covid-19.
The Lakhimpur district administration has also announced that all the teachers of upper and lower primary schools would have to undergo RAT tests.
RAT and RTPCR tests are also underway in Lilabari airport and North Lakhimpur Railway Station and Harmutty Railway Junction in the district.
The district has also set up 37 Covid test centres at different places.
Though the district administration has been asking for adhering to Covid protocols like wearing face masks and banning of spitting, their enforcement remains a major challenge across the Lakhimpur district.
Many people are still not wearing masks and without any ban on tobacco products like gutkha the issue of spitting seems meaningless.
However, the Lakhimpur DC has also asked the public to report immediately if there was any incident of police brutality in enforcing the restrictions harassing the poor working-class people, street vendors etc.