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Vol XXX No. 120
DIMAPUR, MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020 Pages 8 ` 4.00
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Besides NHAK, biosafety lab likely in Dmu
Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, APR 5 (NPN): Minister of Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) S. Pangnyu Phom on Sunday said that the state government has plans to also setup a COVID-19 testing laboratory in Dimapur in addition to the proposed bio safety laboratory at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima. In a telephonic interview to Nagaland Post, Pangnyu said the state government considered Dimapur as a primary concern because of its size and dense population and also being the gateway to Nagaland and for which extra focus was being made to fight COVID-19 pandemic. Pangnyu reiterated that the state has been putting all efforts to ensure that the state should at least have a testing laboratory for COVID-19. He said any failure to check and contain COVID-19 in Dimapur could spur its spread to other parts of the state. While admitting that there was much more to be done, Pangnyu was optimistic that the doctors were giving their best to fight the deadly pandemic. Pangnyu has also appealed to all health professionals, particularly retired doctors, to volunteer and help those in the
DRDO designs full body disinfection chamber, spl mask NEW DELHI, APR 5 (PTI): Joining efforts to fight COVID-19, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed a full-body disinfection chamber and a special face protection mask for healthcare professionals, officials said. The special chamber called ‘PSE’ has been designed by Vehicle Research Development Establishment, Ahmednagar, a DRDO Lab. The walk through enclosure is designed for personnel decontamination, one person at a time. It is a portable system equipped with sanitiser and soap dispenser, officials said. The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. (Full report on p-5)
DC Dimapur warns
DIMAPUR, APR 5 (NPN): Taking serious note of a voice message that had gone viral on social media, where the person had purportedly quoted the deputy commissioner Dimapur, the DC Anoop Kinchi clarified that no such orders, as stated in the voice message, were issued. In a press note, Kinchi warned that stern action would be initiated against those spreading such rumours in social media.
This is it!
“That’s all we can eat till lockdown ends. If you want better, then go to the relief camp.” K Y M C
S. Pangnyu Phom (NP)
frontline combating COVID-19 across the state. Meanwhile, with ‘Nil’ report of COVID-19 in the state, the authorities are mulling to step up efforts through proactive measures that could include an outreach to conduct a greater degree of screening. Of all North Eastern states, only Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura have recorded ‘Nil’ report on COVID19 cases. The news of setting up of a Bio Safe Laboratory in the state (one each at Kohima and Dimapur) will enhance not only the current efforts to contain spread of COVID-19 but would also prove a boon against other viral pandemic diseases such as Ebola, Chikungunya, Den-
gue, Nipah, Zika, MERS-CoV, SARS, Hantavirus etc. While setting up Bio Safety labs, protection for laboratory personnel, the environment and the local community must be considered and ensured. The protections required by these types of activities are defined as bio safety levels. Biological safety levels are ranked from one to four and are selected based on the agents or organisms on which the research or work is being conducted. Each level up builds on the previous level, adding constraints and barriers. The four levels include: Biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) is suitable for work with wellcharacterized agents which do not cause disease in healthy humans. Biosafety level-2 is almost similar to Biosafety level 1 except with additional precautions such as specific training for lab personnel handling pathogenic agents and under supervision of scientists with advance training. Access is limited when work is being conducted and extreme precautions taken with contaminated items. Biosafety level 3(BSL-3): is appropriate for work involving microbes which can cause serious and potentially lethal disease via the inhalation route. Here,
the precautions undertaken in BSL-1 and BSL-2 labs are followed including additional measures such as lab assistant are provided with solid-front protective clothing and cannot be worn outside but discarded and destroyed after use. Also the lab assistants are provided medical surveillance and relevant immunisation to reduce risk from unnoticed infection. Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) is the highest level of biosafety precautions, and is appropriate for work with agents that could easily be aerosol-transmitted within the laboratory and cause severe to fatal disease in humans for which there are no available vaccines or treatments such as presently, the Covid-19 (Coronavirus). In a protectivesuit laboratory, all work must be done in a class II biosafety cabinet by personnel wearing a positive pressure suit. In order to exit the BSL-4 laboratory, personnel must pass through a chemical shower for decontamination, then a room for removing the positivepressure suit, followed by a personal shower. Entry into the BSL-4 laboratory is restricted to trained and authorized individuals, and all persons entering and exiting the laboratory must be recorded.
Decision on reopening schools, colleges to be taken on Apr 14: MHRD NEW DELHI, APR 5 (PTI): Centre will take a decision on reopening of schools and colleges on April 14 after reviewing the coronavirus situation in the country, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said on Sunday. The 21-day nationwide lockdown ends on April 14. There have been indications from the government that the lockdown may not be extended. In an interview to PTI, he said the safety of students and teachers is of utmost importance to the government and that his ministry is prepared to ensure there is no academic loss to students if educational institutions needed to remain shut beyond April 14, when the ongoing 21-day lockdown is slated to end. “It is difficult to take a decision at the moment. We will review the situation on April 14
and depending upon the circumstances, a decision will be taken on whether schools and colleges can be reopened now or have to be closed for some more time,” Pokhriyal said when asked about his Ministry’s postlockdown plan. “There are 34 crore students in the country, more than America’s population. They are our biggest treasure. Safety of students and teachers is of utmost importance to the government,” he added. Classes in schools and colleges were suspended and exams postponed even before the lockdown was announced on March 24, which came into effect from the next day. There are over 800 universities, 40,000 colleges and 12,000 standalone Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), besides 1.5 lakh schools in the country. “The classes are already being conducted on-
line using various government platforms like Swayam and Diksha. The platforms are being widely accessed by students. We are prepared to ensure there is no academic loss to students if need arises to keep schools, colleges closed beyond April 14. I am regularly reviewing the plan of action being followed by schools and colleges during the lockdown,” he said. The government also announced earlier this week that the Central Board of Secondary Education will conduct pending exams for class 10 and 12 only in those 29 subjects which are crucial for promotion and admission to higher educational institutions. “All students upto class 8 have been promoted. For class 9 and 11 students, schools have been asked to grade them as per their performance in internal assessment...” it said.
Covid-19: Assam-26 cases; NE-30 NORTHEAST, PAGE 7
COVID-19 cases in India climb to 3,922; death toll as on Apr 5 at 107 NEW DELHI, APR 5 (AGENCIES): Over 500 novel coronavirus cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases past the 3,900 mark, the Health Ministry said on Sunday evening. The death toll has increased to 107 and 304 patients have recovered from the highly contagious disease. One had migrated to another country, it said. Out of the total confirmed Covid19 cases, 65 are foreign nationals. Active cases in the country rose to 3,219. Delhi has the highest number of cases at 503 followed by Maharashtra (490), Tamil Nadu (485) and Kerala (306). Delhi has been the worst-hit state from the deadly virus, reporting 503 positive cases and 7 deaths. “274 districts across the country have been affected due to coronavirus till date,” informed Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry. “We are chasing the virus rather than the other way around and India’s strategy continues to be preventive. We rather be over prepared,” Lav Agarwal said at Sunday’s press briefing. Addressing the spread of this highly contagious virus, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that so far, there has been no evidence of Covid-19 virus being airborne. More than 1,000 people who attended the religious held by Islamic group Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi last month have tested positive, the government said on Saturday.
Modi dials Sonia, ex-Presidents to discuss COVID-19
NEW DELHI, APR 5 (AGENCIES): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday called two former Presidents, Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil and all senior opposition leaders of the country including former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Devegowda, to discuss the coronavirus outbreak in the country, sources told NDTV. The other leaders he called included Congress’s Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, south leaders KCR, MK Stalin, and ally Parkash Singh Badal. Sources said the PM’s outreach was part of the wider consultations being held on the modalities of lifting the lockdown, whenever that happens.
COVID-19 STATUS AS ON APRIL 5, 2020 NORTH EAST
CONFIRMED
RECOVERED DEATH
Nagaland
Nil
Nil
Nil
Assam
26
Nil
Nil
Manipur
2
Nil
Nil
Mizoram
1
Nil
Nil
Arunachal Pradesh
1
Nil
Nil
3922
304
107
India
No COVID-19 case in Nagaland so far DIMAPUR, APR 5 (NPN): Nagaland continued to have zero cases of COVID-19 as 45 out of the 47 samples sent for testing have tested negative till 5 pm on Sunday, while results of two samples were still awaited. In an update on COVID-19 status in the State provided by principal secretary home Abhijit Sinha, it was also mentioned that the Health & Family Welfare department has till date, designated four hospitals as COVID-19 hospitals – Chedema Ayush Hospital, District Hospital Dimapur, TB Hospital, Mokokchung and District Hospital Tuensang – till now with a total bed capacity of 210.
He claimed that preparations were underway for designating another five hospitals as COVID-19 hospitals, which would increase the bed capacity by another 260. The number of quarantine facilities in the State is right now 43 with 1,264 beds. The principal secretary said efforts were also being made through various means to find out all those people from Nagaland who had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin, New Delhi and have not yet reported or been contacted by the administration. (Cont’d on p-5)
MCD clarifies on Markaz issue NCD appeals to DIMAPUR, APR 5 (NPN): Muslim Council Dimapur (MCD) has clarified that, as per Tablighi Jammat (Preaching Group), only one person from Nagaland went to Markaz at Nizamuddin in Delhi to attend the congregation of March 7 and 8 and returned to Dimapur on March 12. And upon receiving the information, the council claimed in a statement that it had immediately traced him out and handed him over to medical authorities, adding that later his family too was put under quarantine and all had tested negative for COVID-19. In a statement, MCD working president A. Rahman said two more persons from New Market who actually went to Delhi’s Nizamuddin for business purposes were also identified and handed over to the authorities, besides being put under quarantine at the facilities in Dimapur. The duo too tested negative for
COVID-19, it claimed. Clarifying to a letter circulated on social media and signed by Old Showuba Village Council, Dimapur chairman Keron Janger on Sunday that had a list of 10 people returning from a religious gathering in Guwahati on March 20, the council claimed that all of them had been put in home quarantine. According to the council, this group had been in Tabliq Jammat at Narangi in Guwahati since February 10 and, on competition of 40 days, returned on March 21. The members in the group were also checked at Dimapur railway station and had gone to their respective villages, it added. This group was in Guwahati for the entire 40 days period before their arrival on March 21, the statement specified. Admitting that due to the Tablighi/Nizamuddin issue there was a growing
Dimapur citizens
DIMAPUR, APR 5 (NPN): Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) has appealed to the public to comply with directives being issued by the state government and the district administration from time to time. NCD general secretary Thsapongkyu Sangtam pointed out that most people were following the directives issued by the authorities. With the lockdown being relaxed from April 6, NCD urged public to buy essential items only from their respective colonies or village shops and to remain social distancing while shopping. While appreciating the hard work and sacrifices by medical fraternity and policemen, NCD expressed pain over the April 3 assault on a doctor by STF personnel. NCD hoped and prayed that such incidents do not recur particularly between medical and police personnel who were virtually running the (Cont’d on p-5) country during such crisis.
Palm Sunday observed without Church service Govt calls for trained volunteers under AMS Staff Reporter/Correspondent phant entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem before DIMAPUR/KOHIMA, his crucifixion. Christians APR 5 (NPN): It was prob- across the world celebrate ably for the first time since the day by carrying out proChristianity dawned on cessions, organising special Naga soil that churches services and distributing across Nagaland wore a de- palm leaves. serted look on a Palm SunSpeaking to Nagaland day. As the believers were Post, Nagaland Baptist encouraged to observe the Church Council (NBCC) holy day with their family general secretary Rev Zelmembers at their respective hou Keyho clarified that the homes because of the ongo- council did not issue any ing nationwide lockdown in directive to Baptist churches view of the COVID-19 pan- across the State regarding to demic, churches remained observance of Palm Sunday, empty on Sunday. Good Friday and Easter However, the lockdown Sunday. However, though did not dampen the spirits of no formal church services believers as they found ways were held to mark the occato celebrate the beginning of sion to adhere to the social the Holy Week. Many deco- distancing norm, he said rated their homes with palm it was left to the wisdom leaves and organised special of the churches how best services and held feasts with to observe the special octheir family members. casions under the present Palm Sunday, also circumstances. known as Passion Sunday, On the occasion of commemorates the trium- Palm Sunday, Keyho re-
marked that though Palm Sunday was an important day in the Christian calendar, believers were unable to come together for community worshipping this time for “our own good and protect ourselves” from COVID-19 pandemic. He however said the good news was that Christians could still worship, have meaningful family prayer time and listen to the words proclaimed through live-streaming by the pastors. He said Christians in such times should not lose heart because true worship and celebration, which “our Almighty God desires from us comes from the heart”. Explaining the significance of Palm Sunday that signifies victory, triumph, peace and salvation, Keyho called upon all Christians to pray that God would calm “our” troubled hearts and impart His peace and
continue to protect “us and give us victory over our fear”. He urged the believers during this uncertain moment to cry to God to save them from the attack of coronavirus and restore normal life once again. He also asked them to pray that God establishes His Kingdom in such a situation and calm this unprecedented storm in the history of mankind. While the churches remained empty, many church leaders opted to reach out to their members through the help of modern technology and encouraged members to hold “devotional services” at their respective homes with their families. Some churches resorted to live streaming on popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, while others utilised steaming option available on YouTube.
DIMAPUR, APR 5 (NPN): State Home commissioner, Abhijit Sinha has called for the utilization of the service of volunteers trained under Aapda Mitra Scheme (AMS) to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a DIPR report stated. In view of the gravity and magnitude of the
challenge to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Sinha said the government has considered utilizing the service of the volunteers. He informed that the volunteers would be responsible for providing services such as relief related works like providing medicines, food, clothing
and other items to the disabled, elderly and needy persons and also generation of awareness among the people to adopt measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. He added that if necessary, the volunteers may be suitably trained to tackle the pandemic.
Nagaland Governor, RN Ravi along with his family and others light candles in support of the clarion call made by PM Modi to show “solidarity and confidence in the collective (Cont’d on p-5) fight” against Covid-19 at Raj Bhavan Kohima on Sunday. (Raj Bhavan) K Y M C