Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal on Saturday appreciated the steps taken by Guwahati Police in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and for successfully enforcing the lockdown.In a review meeting at police reserve here, the chief minister hailed the action taken by Guwahati Police to keep three people arriving from China in quarantine for 28 days in the last week of February, much before the COVID-19 pandemic took alarming proportions in the county.Sonowal also appreciated the steps taken by the city police to distribute food to 5,000 people daily in Guwahati with the help of NGOs.He directed the police to get in touch with leading citizens of the society while urging them to create awareness among the people of the Muslim community to conduct Namaz rituals in their houses during the holy month of Ramadan.The chief minister said Assam Police has turned out to be the friend in need for the people in distress through their dedicated and exemplary service.Talking to reporters after the meeting, Sonowal said that the state government has taken steps for bringing back 360 people, including 320 students from Kota in Rajasthan, by bus and the city police has taken adequate security measures in the quarantine areas where these returnees would be kept.Nearly 5,000 people who were stuck in Guwahati due to the lockdown have been sent by 320 ASTC buses to their respective places in the state and the police has played an important role in this as well, he said.The chief minister emphasised on the need to maintain social distancing during the three days when state government has allowed inter district movement of the stranded people within the state.
