GUWAHATI: In the wake of the novel coronavirus, Assam is facing a shortage of personal protection equipments (PPE). Among these equipments are masks, sanitizers and hazmat suits (also known as decontamination suits).
"There is a huge demand for PPE materials all over the world. So is the case in Assam. However, the market is exhausted as no new consignments are coming in," a supplier of PPE products informed G Plus in the condition of anonymity.
The supplier further stated that with the government cancelling commercial flights, it has become very difficult to bring in more supplies. Earlier, the supplies used to come to Guwahati via air cargos of companies like Bluedart and DHL.
"Although commercial trains and trucks are plying, there are certain problems attached to them. Firstly, they are not as reliable as flights. Then, they take much longer to come in. Lastly, they require a full load in order to ply which cannot be ensured at this point," he said.
Assam has so far been lucky as no positive case of Covid-19 has been confirmed. But we need to be prepared because once a case comes in, it can spread like wildfire.