Dimapur, June 12 (EMN): With about 3300 returnees, excluding those from the remaining 10 districts at transit quarantine centres, lodged at various quarantine centres in Dimapur and are waiting for testing, the Empowered Group for Covid-19 and civil societies of Dimapur have resolved to demand at least 50% of the TrueNat machine procured by state government and also deploy sufficient medical personnel in the district to facilitate and expedite testing for timely release of returnees and to accommodate fresh returnees.
The resolution to this effect was taken at an emergency meeting held on June 12 at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur. As about 50% of the returnees are Dimapur-based, the house strongly felt that government should give priority in providing resources to Dimapur district including the distribution of TrueNat machines, BSL-3 laboratory etc.
While Dimapur is still struggling with the testing of Chennai returnees, it stated that Covid-19 positive cases are now detected even from Haryana returnees. It added that testing of returnees from Goa, Rajasthan, Bengaluru etc., and huge returnees from normal rail, road and flight are yet to be initiated.
“If government is unable to provide the required testing facilities within a few days, the state government should follow the guidelines prescribed by ICMR for quarantine – 14 days institutional quarantine to be followed by 14 days home quarantine,” a DIPR report stated.
It was of the view that the non-tested persons, who have completed 14 days and above without displaying any symptoms and desirous to go for home quarantine, should be allowed to do so on the condition that they would be tested at a later stage. It stated that more than 700 persons have overstayed the mandatory 14 days of institutional quarantine ranging from 14 - 27 days without swab samples being collected for testing.
In this regard, it demanded that the BSL-2 lab at CIHSR facility should be made operational as soon as possible and the BSL-3 lab facility at Kohima should give priority for testing of samples from Dimapur given the fact that about 50% of returnees are Dimapur-based.
As the returnees in paid quarantine centres are refusing to pay bills for their stay beyond the mandatory 14 days, the house urged the government to suitably compensate for their stay beyond the mandatory 14 days quarantine period.
With the growing unrest among the returnees and parents, where the frontline workers especially the medical teams were threatened, the house warned of agitation as well as law and order problem if the issues were not addressed urgently.
Accusing the government of overwhelmingly taxing the Team Dimapur and frontline workers with supplementary protocols beyond ICMR guideline, the house appealed to do away with supplementary guidelines and empower the frontline workers to release/dispatch the returnees if they are found to be Covid-19 negative or completed the mandatory 14 days quarantine without any symptoms.
Since the maximum positive cases are from Peren and Mon districts, the house felt that shifting of all Covid-19 positive asymptomatic persons to their respective districts might not be practicable for the state government.
Therefore, to accommodate such cases, the house has urged the government to identify one more Covid–19 hospital, preferably CISHR to augment the shortage of medical facility in the fight against the pandemic.
On the issue pertaining to the inadvertent dispatch of a Covid-19 positive case to Peren district, the house appealed to the NGOs of Peren district to be considerate towards the team and put the issue to rest once and for all since it has been admitted and duly clarified and apologised by concerned authority.
Further, the house appealed to the government not to take any disciplinary action against any frontline workers as it was an unintentional mistake and done with no mala-fide intention.
Meanwhile, the CSOs of Dimapur district have appreciated the tireless efforts undertaken by the frontline workers of Team Dimapur.