Dimapur likely to face accommodation problem

Need for staggered arrival and discharge

 

Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 28 

With Dimapur receiving almost 99% of returnees to the State, and accommodating 75%-80% of them, authorities here are likely to face accommodation problem if arrivals from outside the state are not staggered and the earlier returnees who show no symptoms are not discharged to accommodate new returnees.

This was informed by Dimapur incharge for COVID-19 activities, Y Kikheto Sema, IAS during a press briefing at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur on May 28. He informed that Dimapur has received a little over 4000 persons so far and would be receiving around 4000 more within a week. Of the ones already here, around 3200 belongs to Peren, Mon and Dimapur. Meanwhile, around 40 buses ferrying around 1400 passengers are already enroute to the state.

Further, Kikheto said that although the Empowered Committee, Dimapur was awaiting official order, it was planning to send returnees, who have finished quarantine period and do not show any symptoms, to their home districts at the earliest. 

In this, he appealed Peren and Mon districts to mentally prepare to receive their returnees. He said if the arrival of returnees is not staggered, the Committee would have to send the earlier returnees to their home districts after following proper medical procedures even in the absence of official order so as to pave way for the fresh returnees.

Kikheto said Dimapur was willing to house all positive patients but if the number increases then another COVID-19 Hospital would be needed.

“With the testing capacity of 90 samples per day at BSL-3 Kohima, there are many more tests to be done even for the Chennai returnees alone and we do not have space to keep on accommodating all returnees and not to release them until tested,” he added. 

Kikheto said some of the COVID-19 hospitals in other districts were better equipped than Kohima and Dimapur and added that all other districts having efficient doctors and administrators should be willing to receive the returnees. 

“If other districts are not willing to receive returnees then there is no point of having COVID-19 hospitals there and their doctors and nurses should be sent to Kohima and Dimapur since the medical staff here and at Kohima are already working in a hectic manner,” he added. Meanwhile, he appealed the private doctors to continue rendering their services to the state. 

Member of Empowered Committee, Dimapur, Honje Konyak who is also the Secretary, Food & Civil Supplies said there were reports that some villages, wards, colonies etc in the state were preparing their own quarantine centres. He said such centres were not required since the returnees would be sent only after completing the prescribed quarantine period set by the government. 

“Returnees have to undergo additional 14 days home quarantine and not in quarantine centres prepared by villages, colonies, wards etc,” he added. The villages, wards and colony authorities should understand this, Honje said.

He stated there was no point keeping returnees in institutional quarantine for more than 14 days even when they do not show any symptoms. He said those local authorities establishing their own quarantine centres would be doing so at their own risk and cost.

Meanwhile, the Empowered Committee, Dimapur appealed those persons in quarantine centres to maintain discipline and strictly follow all instructions issued by the authorities.

5000 bed capacity in Dimapur 
Kikheto also informed that the institutional quarantine centres identified so far in Dimapur, including the one at Ganeshnagar, has 5000 bed capacity but would be reduced to a little over 4000 since proper distancing has to be maintained between the beds. 

It may be mentioned that the government identified Ganeshnagar as having a capacity to house 5000-6000 persons. However, Kikheto said that after ground works started, the facility can accommodate around 1000 persons within a week’s time. 

“As of now, 420 persons can be accommodated and ready,” he informed.

 

12 cases in Dimapur
With Dimapur having 12 of the 18 cases in the State, the Empowered Committee asked the public not to panic but take all preventive measures. 

All persons with positive cases in the state are young and strong and we hope that they will all recover, members of the Empowered Committee said. Of the 12 cases in Dimapur, 8 are male and 4 are female.