Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sep 3: Forty-nine people who attended a ‘musical nite’ event organized by the Bili Bolo Boys at Humgo Rigo resort in West Siang HQ Aalo on 29 August reportedly tested Covid-19 positive on Thursday.
DMO Dr Moli Riba informed The Arunachal Times that 216 primary contacts of 13 positive people who attended the event were tested on Thursday and 49 tested positive.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) we tested 51 primary contacts of the index case. Thirteen found positive. Today we tested 216 primary contacts of the 13 positive and people who attended Humgo Rigo resort cultural nite. Forty-nine of them have been found to be positive,” said Dr Riba.
On Wednesday there was a report of 13 persons having tested Covid-19 positive after attending the ‘cultural nite’ at the resort. Six of the positive persons were reportedly from Cozy Bar, including the lessee of Cozy Bar.
West Siang DC Moki Loyi convened an emergency meeting on Thursday and ordered a magisterial inquiry to unearth the facts. The DC also imposed 144 CrPC in the entire district for seven days from 4 September to facilitate contact tracing and to contain community spread of the virus.
During the meeting, the DC clarified that the district administration did not give any permission and the organizers of the event did not seek permission. The DC sought full cooperation from every stakeholder for effective contact tracing, and urged the people stay home during this period.
It is said that the report of the ‘musical nite’ having taken place surfaced only after a person who tested Covid-19 positive revealed that he had been to the party. The ‘musical nite’ was held on the outskirt of Aalo township, and the DA and the police were kept in the dark.
The DA has declared Cozy Bar as a containment zone as six persons from the bar tested positive, and slapped a prohibition order on all kinds of activities at Humgo Rigo resort till further orders.
Meanwhile, the West Siang District Students’ Union has lodged an FIR at the police station here against the organizers of the ‘musical nite’, demanding their immediate arrest for violating the Covid-19 SOP “with an intention to spread the virus.”
Condemning the event, the Galo Youth Organization also demanded immediate arrest of the organizers, and said the bar licence of Humgo Rigo resort should be cancelled and total lockdown imposed in Aalo township till contact tracing is completed.
