Revised SOP for returnees and travellers entering Nagaland

Dimapur, Sep. 9 (EMN): The government of Nagaland has issued a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for returnees and other travellers entering the state with immediate effect.

Designated points of entry

• Any returnee/traveller will be permitted to enter the state, subject to normal Inner Line Permit (ILP) restrictions wherever applicable, through Dimapur by train, air or by road through New Field Check Gate and Dillai Gate; through Khuzama in Kohima district by road, through Tsutapela and Watiyongpang in Mokokchung district by road, through Naginimora and Tizit in Mon district by road, and through Bhandari in Wokha district by road.
• Entry into the state through any other route or by any other mode of travel will not be allowed except under special circumstances with the approval of the Home department.
• The provision for issue of e-pass stands discontinued and there will not be any requirement of obtaining the same by any person entering Nagaland.

Installation of nCOVID Nagaland visitors' app and Aarogya Setu/self declaration

• Every returnee/inbound traveller should install and register in nCOVID Nagaland visitors' app and Aarogya Setu before entering Nagaland.
• Every returnee/inbound traveller will be required to submit "self declaration form" and for those opting for home quarantine the "undertaking for home quarantine".  Self declaration form and undertaking for home quarantine can be submitted through either nCOVID Nagaland visitors' app or online at covid19.nagaland.govin. or in hard copy at the point of entry.  The prescribed form of the self declaration (Annexure-1) can be downloaded from covid19.nagaland.gov.in.
• Every returnee/inbound traveller is advised to complete the submission of self declaration and undertaking if opting for home quarantine in advance prior to arrival.
• The returnee/inbound traveller may visit covid19.nagaland.gov.in for getting updated information with regard to locations having testing facilities, institutional quarantine facilities, paid quarantine facilities and their availability on various dates, DTF/ District Health Helpline phone numbers and their email addresses and other concerned information.

Screening at points of entry

• Every returnee/inbound traveller will report to the screening centre which may be located at the designated points of entry or in a convenient location as decided by the respective district task force.
• No returnees/travellers will be allowed to proceed beyond the screening centre without proof of submission of the self declaration and undertaking for home quarantine and registration in the nCOVID Nagaland Visitors App and Aarogya Setu at the time of screening.
• 3. All the returnees/ travellers showing no symptoms on screening will proceed to their respective districts for quarantine as per the quarantine norms mentioned under point D.
• All returnees/travellers showing Covid-19 symptom will be subjected to medical protocol. In case the returnee/inbound traveller is bound for some other district, then based on the medical fitness, will be retained in the district in which the entry point falls, or transported to the respective home/destination district in a separate transport facility.
• Conveyance from the point of entry to the respective district or place for quarantine following the screening will be arranged by the returnee/traveller.
• In case any returnee/traveler at Dimapur/Kohima/Mokokchung bound for other district is unable to get conveyance or there is undue delay in getting the conveyance for moving to his/her home district, then such returnee/traveler may be allowed to undergo quarantine in Dimapur/Kohima/Mokokchung by opting home/institutional/paid quarantine on mutual agreement between the DTF Dimapur/Kohima/Mokokchung and the concerned DTF of the destination/home district.

Quarantine norms

• Every returnee/traveller who is found asymptomatic will undergo quarantine for 14 days. 
• The returnee/traveller may either opt for home quarantine or Institutional quarantine in a facility managed by district task force or paid quarantine in the designated hotel/lodge.
• Home quarantine for any returnee/traveler will he allowed on fulfilling the following conditions:
• The house in which home quarantine is to be done must he in a location where Covid-19 testing facility is available.
• There must be a single bedroom, well ventilated and preferably with attached bathroom or conveniently located in the house where home quarantine is being proposed.
• The person should have filled up and submitted the undertaking for home quarantine as stated under point B; and if submitted digitally to produce the proof of submission at the point of entry.

• 4. If the above mentioned conditions are not fulfilled, then the returnee/traveler will undergo the quarantine by opting either institutional or paid quarantine.
• 5. Notwithstanding the above provisions, persons above the age of 60 years, children below age of 10 years and accompanying parents, pregnant women and accompanying spouses and person with disabilities, unless symptomatic, will be allowed to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.
• 6. At the institutional quarantine facility, the quarantinee will be charged for food at a rate fixed by the respective district task force. The quarantinee may also arrange own food from outside being delivered at the quarantine facility which should be mandatorily in single use disposable containers and preferably of biodegradable materials.
• 7. In case of saturation of the institutional quarantine centres in any district, the returnees/inbound travellers may be allowed to do quarantine in another district on mutual agreement between the District Task Force of the two districts.
• 8. All persons in quarantine shall follow 3Ws (Wear mask, Wash hands, Watch distance) and avoid 3Cs (Crowded places, Close contact setting and Closed and enclosed spaces).
• 9. All persons in quarantine shall self monitor their health for development of any Covid like symptoms- fever, cough, difficulty in breathing etc and shall update the status in nCOVID Nagaland Visitors App twice daily. In case of development of any of the above mentioned symptoms, the quarantinees are advised to contact the respective District Health Helpline given at Annexure: 6 or State Helpline 18003450019.
• 10. The district task force may continue to enlist the support and involvement of tribal bodies, Government Officers/employees associations, and faith based/community based organizations for providing food to Quarantine Centres, disciplining of quarantinees, monitoring observance of home quarantine, counselling and spiritual support, etc.

Testing

If the person in quarantine remains asymptomatic throughout the 14 days quarantine period, no testing will be required for release from quarantine.

• Returnees/travelers if found symptomatic on arrival, will be immediately tested.
• Any person who develops symptoms during the course of quarantine will be tested immediately.
• Persons in quarantine who are asymptomatic and require or need to be released from quarantine prematurely due to urgent or emergency work will be allowed subject to the following conditions:
• After having completed 4 days of quarantine, including the day of arrival, the quarantinee may request for testing by TrueNat.
• Sample collection and testing will he done from 5th day of arrival onwards.
• This test done on request will he charged at the rate fixed by the Government except for dignitaries, and those Government servants on official duty whose services are of essential and urgent nature, as specified by the Home Department.
• The person will he released from facility/home quarantine on receiving the negative test result.
• The person must, however, always maintain all standard safety precautions: follow 3Ws and avoid 3Cs.
• Cov1d-19 tests shall be chargeable for all individuals undertaking travel to countries/Indian States mandating a negative Cov1d-19 test at point of entry; individuals who wish to get themselves tested, subject to case load and capacity of the testing centres; patient for undergoing non-Covid treatment in the hospital (e.g. before surgical procedure or aerosol generating procedure, etc); persons in quarantine who require or need to be released from quarantine prematurely due to urgent or emergency work as stated in Sl. No: E.3.
• The rate of testing will be fixed by the Government which may be revised from time to time.

Release from quarantine

• On completion of the 14 days quarantine period and the person remaining asymptomatic throughout the period, the person will be released from quarantine without testing. However, the standard precautionary measures- 3Ws and 3Cs should always be followed.
• The medical team will issue a "release certificate" on fulfillment of above condition with a copy to the District Task Force.
• The district task force will ensure that details of the quarantinees being released daily are made available to the concerned ministers or advisors who have been assigned districts to monitor and also to the respective district task forces, in case the district where the person has undergone quarantining is different from his/her home/destination district besides the state War Room on Covid -19/office of the Chief Secretary.
• The returnee/traveller will arrange his/her own conveyance upon release from the quarantine or discharge after recovery.

Exemptions from quarantine on entry

• Any person who has to immediately attend to essential and urgent works/duties on his/her entry into the state from outside, or for any unavoidable reasons, cannot quarantine, may be exempted from undergoing quarantine on entry subject to the following conditions:
• The concerned person will apply at least one day prior to travel, online at covid19.nagaland.govin. or through Email/WhatsApp to the destination District with all the details, including travel plans, grounds for seeking exemption from quarantine, duration of stay, among others. The WhatsApp numbers/Email addresses of the District Task Forces (DTFs) in Annexure-7 (also available on covid19.nagaland.gov.in) may be used for sending the communication.
• The entry in the State should be by air or in self arranged conveyance only.
• Installation and registration on Aarogya Setu shall be mandatory. On-boarding on nCovid Nagaland Visitors App will not be required.
• If the duration of stay in the State is more than 48 hours: The soft copy of the RT-PCR or Truenat negative test report done at current location of the person not earlier than two days of the proposed arrival date in Nagaland should be submitted along with the application (if the person has to arrive on say Thursday, the swab should have been given for testing not earlier than Tuesday).
• If the duration of stay in the State is less than 48 hours, no advance Testing will be required.
• The concerned DTF on being satisfied of the grounds given for seeking exemption from quarantine, and subject to fulfilling the criteria for being considered for issue of Inner Line Permit, wherever applicable, will communicate its clearance for exemption from quarantine, through Whatsapp/Email or SMS if applied online, to the concerned person.
• The concerned person will produce the clearance issued by the DTF (digital/hard copy) at the Point of Entry and after screening and on found asymptomatic will proceed with his/her normal routine following all the health safety protocols, and in case of night-halt in the State will stay in a single room accommodation with attached washroom.
• In case the period of stay of the person is likely to go beyond seven days, including the day of arrival, the concerned person will contact the respective DTF for getting tested after 4 days of arrival in the State on RT-PCR/Truenat on payment and on testing negative, will carry on with his/her normal routine following all the health safety protocols.
• The Government Servants on-duty, needing exemption from Quarantine because of unavoidable reasons, on entry into the State from outside, will also be covered by the above provisions.
• Any person who goes out of the State by road in self arranged conveyance and returns within 24 hours without night halt through the same point of exit from the State, and asymptomatic on arrival at the Point of Entry, will be exempted from quarantine and will carry on with his/her normal routine following all the health safety protocols. The concerned person before commencing the journey should obtain movement permit from the concerned DTF in which the point of entry/point of exit falls.
• Any person, including truckers and attendants of any goods vehicle, transiting the State without halting anywhere is exempted from quarantine. Such persons will however be subject to screening at the point of entry and while transiting will follow all the heath safety protocols and social distancing norms.
• Truckers and attendants of any goods vehicle bound for Nagaland will be subject to screening at the point of entry and will be exempted from quarantine provided all the provisions of the consolidated guidelines on lockdown measures. In case of night-halt in the state, the truckers/attendants should stay in single room accommodation with attached washroom.
• The above mentioned category of persons shall also always follow 3Ws and avoid 3Cs.

Entry of dignitaries and senior government officials and exemption from quarantine

The Home department will facilitate for exemption from quarantine, for the constitutional authorities/council of ministers/dignitaries as specified by the Home department and senior government officials on entry into the state, broadly in line with the provisions of point G.1

Entry of military/para military personnel

• The respective military/para military formations/units will make own arrangements for screening of their personnel entering Nagaland for reporting for duty at the point of entry, and thereafter for their transportation to their camps/units for undergoing quarantining for 14 days. In case any personnel at the point of entry shows Covid-like symptom, he/she will be subjected to the SOP/medical protocols of the concerned formation/unit, and wherever required, the forces may take the assistance of the concerned DTF.
• Any personnel who develop symptoms during the course of quarantine will be tested by Rapid Antigen Test/TrueNat / RT-PCR and if assistance is required, the concerned DTF may be contacted.
• If the personnel in quarantine remains asymptomatic throughout the 14 days quarantine period, there will be no testing required.
• In addition, the personnel of military/para military entering Nagaland will continue to be guided as per the provisions of the advisory issued by the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare.

Persons currently undergoing quarantine

• The persons who are presently undergoing quarantine (institutional/paid facilities/at home) and covered under the provisions of the earlier SOP for returnees/ inbound travellers, if tested negative on TrueNat/ RT-PCR and asymptomatic will stand released from Quarantine.
• For those who are yet to be tested, samples will be collected for testing on TrueNat/ RT-PCR after completion of 4 days of quarantine including the day of arrival in the State and if tested negative and asymptomatic will be released from quarantine.
• The testing for the above categories shall not be charged.
• All the persons shall continue to maintain all safety measures- 3Ws and 3Cs.

Implementation of the SOP

• The SOP will he uniformly implemented throughout the State without any deviation and will not be modified by district task force, urban local bodies, village authorities or community-based organisations.
• Violator(s) of the SOP will be penalized as per the relevant section of the Disaster Management Act 2005, and the Nagaland Epidemic Disease (Covid-19) Regulations 2020.