KOLORIANG, Jul 14: The Kurung Kumey district administration held a meeting with stakeholders here on Monday to discuss measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the district.
The meeting, chaired by DC Kento Riba, decided that military and BRO convoys should not be allowed to stop in the township area, nor should the personnel be allowed to interact with the locals, in order to minimize the chances of infection.
The DC directed the SP to instruct the police personnel to ensure that BRO or military personnel in convoys avoid interacting with the locals in the township area.
The people have also been discouraged to travel outside the district, particularly to Itanagar, till 31 July, except on medical emergencies or other urgent domestic purposes and official works. The decision was taken in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in the state capital region and elsewhere in the state.
It was decided that Section 144 CrPC would be imposed from 9 pm to 5 am till 31 July, and that shops and other business establishments will be allowed to open from 7 am to 2 pm during this period.
“All officers/officials returning to the district from outside will have to undergo a compulsory 14 days home/paid quarantine. In case a person is detected with Covid-19 positive, he/she will be quarantined at Chera Talo Memorial District Hospital,” the DC informed in a release.
“The district administration will only provide free accommodation, and the food items should be managed by the quarantined person and their relatives,” he said.
The participants at the meeting advised the district administration to purchase rapid antigen test kits and oximeters.
For the safety and security of the workers, contractors RTT Enterprise and TK Engineering Consortium Pvt Ltd have been asked to construct quarantine camps for their labourers on their own. The public will be prohibited from venturing near these quarantine camps.
The DC presented a brief on the steps taken so far by the administration in tandem with the medical department. He said sufficient PPE and sanitary materials are available with the district administration.
Regarding the demand for imposition of lockdown in the district, the DC said “there are certain guidelines to follow in order to impose a lockdown, and it [lockdown] cannot be whimsically implemented. Valid ground should be there to impose such lockdown in the district.”
With regard to contact tracing, he said “the details of travel history has to be carefully recorded and maintained as it will later on help in the contact tracing of any suspects.”
The DC instructed the DIPRO to constitute a team and make an announcement to alert and inform the citizens of Koloriang township regarding the travel ban imposed by the district administration for people travelling to Itanagar from Koloriang till 31 July, except on medical emergencies.
Speaking on behalf of the road contractors executing the TAH from Joram to Koloriang, Tai Tajik informed that his staff and labourers are “in a state of constant fear and insecurity, as the locals are threatening them of dire consequences if they are coincidentally responsible for local outbreak of Covid-19 in the district.”
He sought help for identifying quarantine centres for their labourers, and pledged to donate Rs 1 lakh on behalf of RTT Enterprise to support the efforts of the district task force.
District Surveillance Officer (SDP) Dr Boni Taluk requested the administration to “finalize the modus operandi of quarantining the returnees from outside, such as fixing the rates for availing facilities at the paid quarantine center(s).”
He suggested that an incident commander be appointed and posted at the Guha Tarak gate to monitor and keep records of those entering the district.
He also suggested that people coming from Itanagar should be kept in compulsory home quarantine for 14 days.
Senior citizen Bengia Hashi advocated imposition of lockdown in Kurung Kumey to stop community spread of the virus.
“No one should be allowed to leave or enter the district, except those on medical emergencies, for the duration of the lockdown period,” he said.
Hashi, who is also the chairman of the local task force for Covid-19, assured to extend all possible help to the district administration and the health department in the fight against Covid-19.
District APWWS secretary Chello Yape expressed apprehension that community transmission of the virus might take place in the district in light of the fact that recently people from Damin and Parsi Parlo had participated in a mass gathering in a prayer and fasting centre in Itanagar, from where a positive case was detected.
She, however, assured all possible support in the fight against Covid-19, on behalf of the women of the district.
Patuk ADC Nabam Tajik, CO Dana Una, Dr Abu Taba and Koloriang Bazar Welfare Committee president Bengia Taram also spoke.
