Nagaland prepared to deal with crisis emerging out of coronavirus outbreak: CM

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Saturday said his government is prepared to deal with the crisis emerging out of the coronavirus outbreak.

The state government is procuring medical equipment, taking precautionary measures and readying facilities to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, Rio said in an address on the fourth day of the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

No positive coronavirus case has been reported in Nagaland so far.

"The world is going through turbulent days, the likes of which we have never experienced before. Its impact is being felt by all of us. But let me assure you that despite constraints, we are fully geared up to deal with this crisis and I am sure we can defeat this invisible enemy," said Rio.

The chief minister said that 173 isolation beds have been made available to treat COVID-19 patients and 175 more have been identified in state-run hospitals.

He said the state has 16 ventilators, 1712 personal protective equipment (PPE), 551 N95 masks, and 16 cardiac monitors.

The state has received 1,536 equipment including triple-layer masks, PPE, BD universal viral transport and swab sticks and is expected to receive another 2.16 lakh equipment by Monday and 33 more ventilators by next week, he said.

The state government's top priority is to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals, police personnel and journalists, who are in the front line of the combat against COVID-19, Rio said.

A total of 3,076 people, including students, who recently returned to the state, reported to the respective district surveillance teams and were subsequently placed under home quarantine for the stipulated period, he said.

Out of 18 samples that were sent for testing, results for 13 were negative and the remaining reports are awaited, Rio said. He said that the flow of essential goods into the state has been unhindered during the lockdown.

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Rio appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other chief ministers to extend help to Nagas stranded in other parts of the country. He also urged people to maintain social distancing and stay at home.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to give Rs 2,000 each to 24,457 construction workers registered with the Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, state Labour Commissioner S L Wati Aier said.

He said the measure was taken to help them sustain during the lockdown, adding Rs 4.8 crore will be spent on the initiative.

Meanwhile, Rio launched a mobile application through which health department officials can track COVID-19 cases and prevent community spreading.

The 'Self Declaration COVID-19 Nagaland' application tracks registered individuals through GPS.

On the other hand, Principal Secretary (Home) Abhijit Sinha said control rooms have been set up in all the districts to monitor the supply of essential commodities.

He said there is no shortage of foodgrains, grocery items, milk and medicines in the state.

A total of 27 people have been arrested till Saturday for violating restrictions on the movement of people, he added.

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