Nagaland government issues revised guidelines for lockdown

Operation of guidelines in hotspots and containment zones

• Hotspots or areas of large Covid-19 outbreaks will be determined as per the guidelines issued by MoHFW.
• In these hotspots, containment zones will be demarcated by district administrations.
• In these containment zones, the activities allowed under these guidelines will not be permitted. There shall be strict perimeter control in the area of the containment zones to ensure that there is no unchecked inward/ outward movement of population from these zones except for maintaining essential services (including medical emergencies and law and order related duties) and government business continuity.

Persons to remain under mandatory quarantine

• Those directed by healthcare personnel to remain under strict home/ institutional quarantine for a period as decided by local health authorities.
• Persons violating quarantine will be liable to legal action under Section 188 of the IPC, 1860.
• Quarantined persons, who have arrived in India after 15.2.2020, after expiry of their quarantine period and being tested Covid-19 negative, will be released following the protocol prescribed in the SOP issued by MHA.

Activities permitted under lockdown measures

• Inter-district movement of commercial passenger vehicles shall remain barred except those carrying goods and commodities. This exception includes goods vehicles transiting the state after the mandatory medical screening of the drivers and attendants.
• Public shall continue to strictly maintain social distancing and wear face masks (even homemade).
• Shops and outlets dealing with food grains, food items, vegetables, daily use items, other essential commodities will be allowed to open for extended hours as per schedule to be notified by respective deputy commissioners. Shops and outlets dealing with other items and goods will continue to remain closed.
• Salons, dine-in restaurants, eateries, departmental stores and malls shall also continue to remain closed. However, home deliveries from dine-in restaurants, food outlets and delivery of online orders of essential commodities shall be permitted but have to ensure social distancing. Dhabas at strategic locations along the highway identified by respective deputy commissioners will be permitted to function to cater to the needs of persons involved in transportation of goods.
• Proprietors of shops and establishments that are allowed to open will make arrangements for keeping hand sanitisers or provide facilities for hand washing with soap and water for the public as well as for their own staff; door handles, surfaces and other objects that are frequently touched by people should cleaned and disinfected. Social distancing measures will also be adhered to at all the shops and outlets.
• Hawker stalls located in crowded areas that offer no scope for enforcing satisfactory social distancing like the Hongkong Market, New Market in Dimapur Town, BOC Market in Kohima etc. shall remain closed except those shops/outlets dealing with food grains, vegetables, food items, medicines and other essential items and goods. Respective deputy commissioners, on assessing the ground situation, may issue suitable orders in this regard.
• Services provided by self-employed persons like electricians, IT repairs, plumbers, carpenters etc. will be permitted, provided proper social distancing norms are followed.
• Use of common public toilets shall be prohibited.
• Restrictions on gatherings at public places of more than five people.
• All the public places like parks, museums, libraries, recreation centres etc. and all religious places, movie halls shall continue to remain closed.
• Wedding receptions and all social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, and religious gatherings will continue to remain barred.
• All construction activities, all agricultural and farming-related activities including veterinary services, transportation of seeds, saplings, fertilisers, etc., MGNREGA activities, mid-day meal schemes, and social security schemes may resume but prescribed physical distancing should be strictly observed.

Offices and educational institutions

• All schools and educational institutions, including home tutorials and vocational institutions, shall remain closed till further orders.
• Functioning of offices of the state government will be as per Home department office memorandum dated 13th April, 2020.
• Offices of the government of India, its autonomous/subordinate offices will function as per the guidelines issued by the ministry of Home Affairs on April 15. Respective deputy commissioners may facilitate for movement of officers and staff.
• Essential service providers like BSNL abd private telecom services, internet service providers, media, LPG, banks and ATMs, petroleum outlets, treasury, Fire & Emergency Services, Home Guards & Civil Defence, Prisons, Phed, Power, NIC, DIPR, Postal Services, Food and Civil Supplies, Social Welfare, IT&C, Municipalities/Councils, AIR, Doordarshan, pharmacies, district administration, police and medical shall continue as per previous arrangements.

Instructions for enforcement of lockdown measures

• All the deputy commissioners shall strictly enforce directives and penalties shall be levied and collected from all persons and entities violating these directives.
• All industrial and commercial establishments, work places, offices etc., shall put in place arrangements for implementation of SOP as per the government’s order.
• To implement containment measures, the deputy commissioners will deploy executive magistrates as Incident Commanders, who will be responsible for implementation of measures in their respective jurisdictions. All other line department officials in the specified area will work under the directions the official, who will also issue passes for enabling essential movements as explained.
• The Incident Commanders will in particular ensure that all efforts for mobilisation of resources, workers and material for augmentation and expansion of hospital infrastructure shall continue without any hindrance.
• This order is issued in supersession of all earlier orders, except where mentioned.

Penal provisions

• Violators of lockdown measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Sec. 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable.

National directives for Covid-19 management

• The national directives shall be enforced by the district magistrate through fines and penal action as prescribed in the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Public spaces

• Wearing of face cover is compulsory in all public places, work places.
• All persons in-charge of public places, work places and transport shall ensure social distancing.
• No organisation /manager of public place shall allow gathering of five or more persons.
• Gatherings such as marriages and funerals shall remain regulated by the district magistrate.
• Spitting in public spaces shall be punishable with fine.
• There should be strict ban on sale of liquor, gutka, tobacco etc. and spitting should be strictly prohibited.

Work spaces

• All work places shall have adequate arrangements for temperature screening and provide sanitizers.
• Work places shall have a gap of one hour between shifts and will stagger the lunch breaks of staff, to ensure social distancing.
• Persons above 65 years of age and persons with co-morbidities and parents of children below the age of five may be encouraged to work from home.
• Use of Arogyasetu will be encouraged for all employees both private and public.
• All organisations shall sanitise their work places between shifts.
• Large meetings to be prohibited.

Manufacturing establishments

• Frequent cleaning of common surfaces and mandatory hand washing.
• No overlap of shifts and staggered lunch with social distancing in canteens.
• Intensive communication and training on good hygiene practices.
• Standard operating procedure for social distancing

The following measures shall be implemented by all offices, factories and other establishments:

• All areas in the premises like entrance gate of building, office, cafeteria, canteens, meeting room, conference halls, open areas available, verandah, entrance gate of site, bunkers, porta cabins, building, equipment and lifts, washroom, toilet, sink; water points, walls and other surfaces shall be disinfected completely using user friendly disinfectant mediums.
• For workers coming from outside, special transportation facility will be arranged without any dependency on the public transport system. These vehicles should be allowed to work only with 30-40% passenger capacity.
• All vehicles and machinery entering the premise should be disinfected by spray mandatorily.
• Mandatory thermal scanning of everyone entering and exiting the work place.
• Medical insurance for the workers to be made mandatory.
• Provision for hand wash and sanitiser preferably with touch-free mechanism will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas.
• Work places shall have a gap of one hour between shifts and will stagger the lunchbreaks of staff, to ensure social distancing. Large gatherings or meetings of 10 or more people to be discouraged. Seating at least 6 feet away from others on job sites and in gatherings, meetings and training sessions.
• Not more than 2/4 persons will be allowed to travel in lifts or hoists.
• Use of staircase for climbing should be encouraged.
• Strict ban of gutka, tobacco etc. and spitting should be strictly prohibited.
• Total ban on non-essential visitors at sites.
• Hospitals/clinics in the nearby areas, which are authorised to treat Covid-19 patients, should be identified and list should be available at work place all the times.

Offences and penalties for violation of lockdown measures

• Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005: Obstruction of government officials from discharging their functions or refusal to comply with government directives; false claim; misappropriation of money or materials; false warning; offences by departments of the government; failure of officer in duty; contravention of any order regarding requisitioning; offence by companies; previous sanction for prosecution; and cognizance of offences are punishable including imprisonment and fine.