Nagaland: State-level training held to tackle coronavirus

No positive cases in Nagaland so far

Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 11 (EMN): The state nodal officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Dr. Nyanthung Kikon, on Wednesday said that five people have been quarantined at home in connection with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). However, no coronavirus cases have been detected in the state so far.

Kikon said this while interacting with reporters during the state-level training of trainers (TOT) programme on the coronavirus for district-level trainers, armed forces, disaster response force and officials of the Health department on Wednesday. It was organised by the department of Health and Family Welfare, government of Nagaland.

The nodal officer said that the state-level training was a follow-up to the national training that was held on March 6. He added that the programme was organised with special focus on surveillance, infection control, waste management, sample collection, and strategies on information-communication, and education areas.

Kikon said that lack of awareness among the public about “what to do and what not to do” is a major challenge for the department and the government. “It is the major concern of the government to give mass awareness to the last person (sic),” he added.

The state nodal officer also maintained that checking at the entry point and border areas of the state was the first step taken by the government and that the Home department has ordered the district administrations to seal the border entry points.

He however asserted that international borders were ‘very porous’ to prevent border crossing. He said it is a ‘herculean task’, yet all the available resources have been put in place and awareness activities would be scaled up soon to inform the people about the disease.

The principal director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Vizolie Suokhrie, in his keynote address, stressed on the need to be prepared and make a response plan throughout the districts to respond promptly to the coronavirus. He also asserted the need to have extensive information and communication among various sections of the society to dispel rumours and fake news.

Various topics viz. infection prevention and control, environmental cleaning, disinfection and bio-medical waste management, clinical case management, risk communication and community engagement, hospital preparedness and non-pharmaceutical interventions were discussed at the programme.

The participants were also informed regarding the global/India update and epidemiology, cluster containment strategy and community surveillance, and information management.

KSU bans tourists in Mon

In view of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) spreading to several countries, including India, the Konyak Students’ Union (KSU) has resolved to ban both international and domestic tourists from entering Mon district at its emergency meeting held on March 10.

The union has requested the concerned law enforcing authority and district administration to ensure public safety by ‘checking tourists entering Mon district, especially ahead of upcoming Aoleang Festival’. It has also appealed to the state government take up preventive measures and the “medical staff” in the district to be stationed at their posting places.

‘Public is also advised to avoid travelling to other districts/state/country during this critical situation,’ the press release read.

Cleaning supplies running low in Dimapur

(Our Reporter )

Many pharmacies and retail shops in Dimapur have either sold out basic cleaning supplies like anti-bacterial hand wash and sanitisers or stocks running low as alarmed citizens rush to buy amid the novel coronavirus scare.

There were reports earlier this week that hand sanitiser gel was starting to run out-of-stock in many shops while most online shopping sites displayed ‘out-of-stock’ on such products. Some pharmacists and retail shop owners revealed that demand for cleaning supplies is still high.

The shop owners said that the items (hand sanitisers) will be in stock soon but refuted claims that they were selling such supplies at exorbitant rates. “What will we achieve from selling them at an exorbitant rate for a brief period because the virus, one day will be defeated,” one of the shop owners said.

The Centre government had on March 6 warned of stringent action against hoarding and black-marketing of face masks and hand sanitisers amid rising demand due to the coronavirus outbreak.