Temporary curb on entry of armed forces personnel

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug.9 (EMN): With armed forces personnel accounting for more than 40% of the Covid-19 patients in Nagaland so far, the Indian Army has decided to reschedule its entry to the state, during a meeting held recently.

Informing this to Eastern Mirror, Principal Secretary (Home), Abhijit Sinha, informed that on Thursday last, the matter concerning the alarming rise of Covid-19 positive cases among the armed forces personnel was mutually deliberated between the state government officials and security forces; after which the latter had decided to reschedule their entry to the state.

“The matter was deliberated some days back in a meeting held with the chief secretary where the paramilitary forces had decided to reschedule the return of their personnel from outside (the state), so that they can manage the situation in a better way,” Sinha said.

However, it was not at the direction of the state government, he informed, adding that the matter regarding the surge in Covid-19 cases among the armed forces personnel was “mutually deliberated”.

Till the spread of the infection is stabilised, the security forces have rescheduled their arrival to the state, Sinha said.

“However, there has not been a problem anywhere till date,” he said, while referring to the Covid-19 status in Nagaland.

According to the department of Health and Family Welfare, out of the total 2781 positive cases recorded in Nagaland so far, the armed forces personnel account for 1,226 cases.

A large number of Covid-19 cases have been detected among the defence forces in other north-eastern states as well.

In the wake of the rising cases of Covid-19 in Mizoram, its chief minister had recently wrote to the prime minister to temporarily ban the entry of the paramilitary personnel to the state till August 15.