Covid-19 screening begins in Dimapur railway station

Our Reporters
Dimapur, March 19 (EMN): Thirteen calls were made to the health authorities in Dimapur for queries related to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) on Thursday.

Interestingly, thirteen persons also visited the Dimapur district control room to test for the Covid-19. This update was given to Eastern Mirror on by officials from the Health department.

According to an official update, the screening facility had received 13 calls of which seven were men and six women, who had arrived from Karnataka, Mumbai, Delhi, Imphal, Kolkata, Chennai, Raipur, Dehradun and Rajasthan between March 3 and March 22. Most of them were students. At the time of this report being filed, they apparently showed no symptoms associated with the coronavirus.

The source informed that a total of 13 people had visited the Dimapur district control room on March 19. These people had arrived in Nagaland from Israel, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bihar and Guwahati between March 15 and March 19.

Further, the official added that most of the people who came to the control room were those who had stayed in rents. Their owners were stated to have advised the tenants to get medical certificates as a safety measure. Even Indian Reserve Police personnel were advised by their commandant to get a health check to rejoin their camp, the official informed.

The Dimapur district control room informed that there were no reported cases of the Covid-19 on Thursday.

Thermal scanning at Dimapur entry points

Thermal scanning for Covid-19 at Dimapur railway station, Dillai gate and New Field check gate has started for visitors from Thursday.

When queried on the possibility of passengers taking other exit points at the railway station, officials from the Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC), Burma Camp, said that ‘Dimapur Task Force in coordination with the Railway Police Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police Station (GRPS) personnel have made a single exit point and barricaded all other exit points at Dimapur Railway Station to enable screening of all the arriving passengers’.

Medical Officer and overall in charge of the thermal screening at railway station, Dr. Kheshika Yeptho, told Eastern Mirror that with less manpower at the station and with just two thermal scanners it was tasking. “We have requested for two more thermal scanners to be provided which we hope to receive by today for railway station,” Yeptho said.

He pointed out that manpower at the railway station were not enough, especially with major trains arriving at night, ‘it will be easier said than done for the staff and we cannot afford to miss out even a single passenger’.

Surprisingly, people crossing the Burma Camp check gate, bordering Assam, was not subjected to thermal scanning.

More manpower

The deputy commissioner (DC) of Dimapur, Anoop Khinchi told Eastern Mirror that manpower will slowly increase in the days to come in regard to screening of travellers at the railway station in Dimapur and check gates bordering Assam.

Khinchi informed that the administration along with various NGOs and other civil organisations will help in the screening process.

“Training will be given to non-medical personnel; it is not a technical training, so everyone who is healthy can contribute,” said Khinchi.

The chief medical officer (CMO), Dimapur, Dr. Pangjung Sangtam also reiterated that ‘something will come in place regarding the issue of manpower’.

“We will be taking the help of police, volunteers, organisations; a plan is in place,” Sangtam told this newspaper.

DMC sets up washbasins

The Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has set up washbasins in and around the commercial hub at various places on March 19.

The administrator of DMC, Albert Ezung, told Eastern Mirror that 10 washbasins have been set up in different places that are crowded like Big Bazaar, Hongkong Market, Vishal Mart and others.

“These washbasins are also set up not only to keep clean but also to spread awareness,” said Ezung.