The Assam government has decided to launch the Assam Targeted Surveillance Programme (ATSP) on Wednesday to randomly test 50,000 samples in 11 days.
Assam principal secretary (health and family welfare) Samir Kumar Sinha said the random testing under the ATSP would be conducted in four categories of people.
In his order, Sinha said under the ATSP, random testing of people and workers involved in truck parking, loading and unloading of goods, including railway goods and godowns, would be conducted.
Similar random testing would be conducted on all frontline district officials, including health workers, police personnel, officials of the transport department and the district administration, those associated with Covid-19 management, hotel staff and family members of people released from the institutional quarantine centres.
Earlier, the Health Minister said if a sizable number of positive cases were found after testing 50,000 samples, several stringent measures, including total lockdown, would be re-imposed in Guwahati and other vulnerable places.
“The new strategies are being considered to check the coronavirus spread in Assam,” Sarma said.
Assam has so far tested 2.20 lakh samples and found 4,319 Covid-19 cases.
A total of 2,205 patients in the state have so far cured and were discharged from hospital.
Of the total 4,319 COVID-19 cases, 2, 103 are active, eight patients have died and three others have migrated to other states.
