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In a previous tweet, I had talked about how @CMOfficeAssam and @himantabiswa are doing a great job at handling the Covid-19 pandemic in their state. As destiny would have it, I got to experience it myself.
Today, I got tested for Covid-19 at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. ...
Today, I got tested for Covid-19 at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. ...
Recently, my brother was allocated MS General Surgery through NEET PG at AMCH, Dibrugarh itself and he was expected to report by 30th June. Due to paucity of time and travel options (high flight costs and high infection risks in trains), we decided to travel by car (1300+ km).
On our way to Dibrugarh, we passed through:
a) many districts of Bihar that I had not visited before (Forbesganj, Purnia, and Kishanganj),
b) shitty roads between Siliguri to Jalpaiguri in West Bengal,
c) and Kaziranga National Park, Majuli, Kokrajhar and Nellie in Assam.
a) many districts of Bihar that I had not visited before (Forbesganj, Purnia, and Kishanganj),
b) shitty roads between Siliguri to Jalpaiguri in West Bengal,
c) and Kaziranga National Park, Majuli, Kokrajhar and Nellie in Assam.
As soon as we reached Assam state border, we were stopped by @assampolice from proceeding further. Once in Assam, one has to undergo preliminary screening, complete certain paperwork and accompany the police escort who are supposed to carry you safely inside Assam.
While we were waiting, we were offered packaged meals and water by the State officials. Both the migrant workers and those who arrived with their @AudiIN (not us) had to follow the same procedure and the contact of higher-ups was clearly not working.
We were asked to carry the requisite papers and report directly to the nearest Police station in Dibrugarh and follow their instructions.
What did we do? Avoided the police and directly reached our hotel as we did not want to go to State quarantine facilities.
What did we do? Avoided the police and directly reached our hotel as we did not want to go to State quarantine facilities.
As soon as we reached the hotel last night, the manager told us that we have to fill a separate form which is sent every day to the nearest police station and that we will have to get ourselves tested for Covid-19. 
(No such arrangements in Bihar or West Bengal)
(No such arrangements in Bihar or West Bengal)
Today morning, we received a call from the local police station who asked us to report to the AMCH Covid-19 testing centre by 11 AM and get ourselves tested.
We were told that after testing we have the option to choose to stay either at state quarantine facilities or our hotel.
We were told that after testing we have the option to choose to stay either at state quarantine facilities or our hotel.
How did the testing go?
-- It took less than 3 hours for us to complete the entire paperwork and give samples.
-- It hurts a little while they take nasal samples.
-- You don't need any approval or recommendation to get tested in Assam.
-- Results: 24 to 48 hours.
-- It took less than 3 hours for us to complete the entire paperwork and give samples.
-- It hurts a little while they take nasal samples.
-- You don't need any approval or recommendation to get tested in Assam.
-- Results: 24 to 48 hours.
Right now, we are waiting for our results to come and hoping that we would be allowed to leave the quarantine in between and start our journey back to my home.
Since you have read all the tweets till now, here is some trivia (for you) about the places that I travelled through:
Since you have read all the tweets till now, here is some trivia (for you) about the places that I travelled through:
1) Saran (my home town): Home to Chirand (a neolithic archaeological site you have read about in your Class VI history book)
2) Muzaffarpur: Famous for its Litchi and infamous for Japanese Encephalitis (hence the connection between the two) ...
2) Muzaffarpur: Famous for its Litchi and infamous for Japanese Encephalitis (hence the connection between the two) ...
3) Darbhanga: Seat of Raj Darbhanga and the place where All India Football Federation was founded by Maharaja Sir Kameshwar Singh Goutam
4) Madhubani: Known for its own painting style
5) Supaul: The place where Koshi river arrives in India from Nepal with all its might
4) Madhubani: Known for its own painting style
5) Supaul: The place where Koshi river arrives in India from Nepal with all its might
6) Forbesganj: @Forbes adopt this place!
7) Araria: Birthplace of Phanishwar Nath 'Renu'
8) Purnia: Don't know much about
9) Kishanganj: The only constituency which @BJP4India did not win during 2019 Lok Sabha elections (Bihar ends)
7) Araria: Birthplace of Phanishwar Nath 'Renu'
8) Purnia: Don't know much about
9) Kishanganj: The only constituency which @BJP4India did not win during 2019 Lok Sabha elections (Bihar ends)
10) Cooch Behar: https://scroll.in/article/725804/india-bangla-land-swap-was-the-worlds-strangest-border-created-by-a-game-of-chess (I knew only about the popular legend which turned out to be unsubstantiated
)
11) Kokrajhar (near Bongaigaon): Infamous for its 2013 riots
)11) Kokrajhar (near Bongaigaon): Infamous for its 2013 riots
12) Nellie: Most people are unaware of the 1983 Nellie riots when 1800 people (mostly Muslims- official, unofficial- 3k to 5k) had died under Congress's watch and Indira Gandhi had remarked: One has to let such events take their course before stepping in. https://scroll.in/article/829682/why-was-assams-nellie-massacre-of-1983-not-prevented-despite-intimations-of-violence
13) Majuli: India's largest riverine island (must have read in some random GK book)
14) Kaziranga National Park: While we remember Lord Curzon for first Bengal partition, his wife Mary Curzon was behind one of the first conservation efforts that were taken to protect Rhinos.
14) Kaziranga National Park: While we remember Lord Curzon for first Bengal partition, his wife Mary Curzon was behind one of the first conservation efforts that were taken to protect Rhinos.
15) Dibrugarh: Home to Northeastern India's first medical college and first Radiology lab of India (the end).
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