Itanagar Capital Region DMO Dr Mandip Perme on Monday informed that wards number 15, 16 and 17 in Naharlagun have emerged as the major hotspot of Covid-19. The maximum numbers of Covid-19 cases have been reported from these wards. Naharlagun town has emerged as the main hotspot of Covid-19 as the virus is spreading at a much faster rate in the town. The business community, especially those selling meat and grocery items, seem to have been hit hard.
In this context, the role of the Arunachal Chamber of Commerce & Industries (ACCI) is appreciable, as it has taken the lead role in conducting antigen tests in the ICR. Due to the active participation of the ACCI team the business community is coming forward for testing, thereby resulting in detection of many positive cases. As the number of cases continues to rise, there is a need for scaling up the antigen tests in Naharlagun and nearby areas like Nirjuli, Doimukh, etc. More teams should be deployed at the earliest to start testing on a large scale. The lockdown will end on 3 August and the state government is yet to take a decision on whether to extend it or not. However, for the areas where Covid-19 positive cases continue to rise, the state government should explore the possibility of continuing the lockdown till contact tracing is completed.