Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal on Sunday said that timely and swift action taken by the state's health department has instilled a sense of belief and confidence among the people in the fight against coronavirus.Sonowal also hailed the role of Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Minister of State for Health Pijush Hazarika in combating the spread of the disease."The health department has shown exemplary performance by setting up infrastructure, arranging logistics among other measures in a record time...," he said.Sonowal later told reporters that the government is concerned about people from Assam stuck in different states of the country and abroad, and has taken several steps to mitigate their difficulties."I have talked to the chief ministers of different states and requested them to provide food and medical facilities to people from the state stranded in those places due to the lockdown," he said.The state government has provided USD 1,000 each to 230 people from Assam stranded abroad and Rs 25,000 each to 610 people undergoing treatment in other states during the lockdown, the chief minister said.Sarma admitted that Assam would face a "critical phase" in warding off the dreaded virus when people start returning to the state after the lockdown.A total of 4,742 people in the state have been tested for COVID-19 so far and out of that, 34 tested positive. Results of 300 people are awaited.
