Covid-19: States asked to intensify prevention efforts

Dimapur, March 20 (EMN): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed all state governments to intensify ‘various efforts to combat Covid-19’, reasoning that ‘the present juncture is the most crucial time to prevent it from spreading further’.

A press release from the DIPR on Friday informed that Modi made this statement during a video conference with the chief ministers of all the states, including Nagaland.

“The chief minister of Nagaland along with minister of Health and Family Welfare, chief secretary and other senior officials attended the video conference. While acknowledging the hard work put in by various states, the prime minister emphasised every citizen should strictly observe hand sanitation and social distancing as well as avoid non-essential travelling,” it stated.

The prime minister assured the states of all possible help from the Centre. He also instructed the states to conduct a ‘mock drill on hospital preparedness’ on March 22, it informed.

Observe ‘janta curfew’

The government of Nagaland has appealed its citizens to participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed ‘janta curfew’ on March 22 by staying indoors from 7 am to 9 pm. Exceptions have been made for those associated with emergency and essential services.

Nagaland govt. issues 5-point advisory to deputy commissioners

The state Home department on Friday directed all deputy commissioners to immediately issue the following instructions: 

• Instruct all shops and other establishments which are frequented by public to mandatorily keep hand sanitisers or provide facilities for hand washing with soap and water for the public as well as for their own staff/workers. Further, the proprietor of the shops and establishments should regularly get the door handles, surfaces and other objects which are frequently touched by people cleaned and disinfected.
• Instruct all the restaurants/eating places across the district to mandatorily provide facilities for hand washing with soap and water for the public as well as for their own staff/workers. Further, they should regularly clean and disinfect the door handles/knobs, tables, chairs and other surfaces which are touched by a large number of people
• Instruct all the hotels/guest houses/rest houses to mandatorily provide facilities for hand washing with soap and water for their guests and travellers as well as for their own staff/workers and also to regularly clean and disinfect the door handles/knobs, rooms, tables, chairs and other surfaces which are touched by a large number of people.
• Instruct all the municipal councils, town councils and urban stations to regularly clean and disinfect all the public places.
• Instruct the in-charge of all public and private carriers which include buses, taxis, autorickshaws, two-wheelers etc., carrying passengers for regularly cleaning and disinfecting the seats, door handles, railings, surfaces etc. 

The deputy commissioners have been asked to detail an officer to check those places/facilities regularly and take necessary action on defaulters.