Co-operate with government in the fight against Covid-19 -- Zeliang

“Stay at home if you love yourself and your people”

Dimapur, April 3 (EMN): In the wake of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak across the globe, the opposition party leader and former chief minister TR Zeliang has made a fervent appeal to the citizens of Nagaland to co-operate with the state government in fighting the deadly virus and “stay at home if you love yourself and your people”.

The message issued on Friday, Zeliang said, was a modest attempt to reach out to the people “underlining the necessity for all of us to follow precautionary measures, guidelines, instructions and directives which are being disseminated by both the central and state government from time to time”.

Citing some European nations that have been affected by the Covid-19 today, reportedly because of taking too much time to recognise the threat posed by the virus, “too slow to get diagnostic testing in place, too slow to come up with precautionary measures and too slow to realise the importance of physical distancing”, he asked the people to learn from it.

“Let us learn, think and act on time. Let us not be too slow for anything: whether it is the present day government or the general public at large, let us take the right action at the right time,” the message read.

Zeliang stated that it is important for the state government to come up with prudent and pragmatic measures to handle Covid-19 cases if it is reported in any parts of the state as well as frame “policies to secure the lives of frontline workers like health professionals, police and home-guard personnel, magistrates and government officials on duty etc. who are bound to directly deal with affected or suspected people in quarantine centres, hospital and health centres”.

No Covid-19 cases have been reported in Nagaland so far, but the former CM said the state cannot afford to be complacent as its neighbouring states -- Assam and Manipur – have been affected, and that it “shares a 215 km international border with Myanmar”. “We must be alert even as we utilise the available time at hand to prepare ourselves and to remain a zero Covid-19 state even in the days to come,” the Naga People’s Front (NPF) leader wrote.

“Dear fellow citizens, I take this opportunity to urge every one of you to co-operate with the government in the fight against Covid-19. Whether one likes it or not; if we fail to contain this deadly pandemic at the end of the day, sicknesses and death may not spare any one of us irrespective of political party affiliation, race, creed, religion or social strata,” the message read.

“In this battle against Covid-19, there are several individuals and groups across the country who are contributing generously towards the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) and also towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) in the state which is highly commendable. Not everyone can contribute in monetary terms- however, everyone can contribute in saving the society by staying at home. Therefore, choose to stay at home if you love yourself and your people,” it added.