Dimapur, April 14 (EMN): Governor RN Ravi has proposed to immediately set up a “multi-department” by the name and style of ‘Covid-19 war room’—to function under the chief secretary— for an effective holistic response to the unprecedented global pandemic that has now breached the gates of Nagaland.
According to a Raj Bhavan statement on Tuesday, the governor made this suggestion during a weekly review meeting held with the chief secretary, the commissioner and secretary for Home, the commissioner and secretary for Health and Family Welfare; and the director general of police.
“In the backdrop of a Covid-19 positive case in Dimapur, the meeting identified the gaps and weaknesses in the existing preventive protocols and procedures to fight the virus, and took appropriate measures to further strengthen the existing mechanism,” it stated.
Ravi suggested that the ‘war room’ could have ‘integrated verticals on health logistics, health services, availability of essential commodities, law and order enforcement relating to Covid-19, status of our people stranded and stuck in various parts of the country besides close monitoring and analysis of day-to-day unfolding Covid-19 situation in the state’.
It will also closely monitor aggressive tracing, tracking and testing of suspect cases and do real-time stock taking of medical inventories, Ravi added.
The governor thanked Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh ‘for promptly responding to his request, and on priority, ordering immediate airlift of critical equipments from Mumbai to Dimapur for fast track setting up of a biosafety lab in the state’.
The Indian Air Force aircraft, according to Ravi, is scheduled to land in Dimapur on Wednesday.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi “for the right decision” to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3.
Ravi also reassured the people of Nagaland that the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is taking all measures to effectively tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a separate statement later in the evening, Chief Secretary Temjen Toy informed that the “chief secretary’s war room on Covid-19” has been set up in his office where integrated information system would be managed, analysed and decisions taken on prevention and management of Covid-19 in the state.
He therefore appealed to all concerned to send their suggestions through email to temjentoy@gov.in.
