Assam, May 24: In an act of recklessness or paranoia, at least 400 train passengers who arrived at Assam railway station Assam today forced their way out of its premises apparently to avoid being tested for COVID-19.
Most of them are migrant workers, including women and children, they had travelled by the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express that had set off from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and traversed Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal over five days.
Assam government has made Covid testing mandatory on arrival for all train passengers.
The incident took place at the Jagi Road station, around 60 kilometres from Guwahati.
Authorities could hold back only a handful of those who had disembarked at Jagi Road.
Also Read: 50% of people still do not wear a mask: Health ministry
The incident seemed like a replay of a similar one that was reported in Bihar last month. Dozens of people, some with young children, had back then rushed out of a railway station in Buxar fearing Covid testing.
Assam yesterday reported nearly 6,000 fresh Covid cases, taking its overall figure of infections to over 3.65 lakh. It also registered nearly 80 deaths related to the pandemic putting the state’s overall fatalities at 2,667.
