Allaying concern raised by the opposition bench in the Assembly about coronavirus, state Health & Family Welfare minister, S. Pangnyu Phom Saturday informed the Assembly that there was no confirmed case of coronavirus infection in Nagaland so far.
He however, informed that 42 persons, who had arrived from China and other countries, affected by the outbreak of novel coronavirus, were being monitored while seven of them have been kept in isolation at their homes.
Responding to the ‘Calling attention to matter of urgent public importance under Rule 54’ pertaining to measures adopted by the state to detect and control the spread of coronavirus as raised by T.R. Zeliang, Phom said a public health emergency operations centre has been operationalised since January 28 and the daily monitoring reports were being dispatched to the ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He said Nagaland was the first state to report on “Special Surveillance System Portal for novel Coronavirus status under Health ministry
He informed that house that those persons under surveillance and under home isolation were being monitored regularly, twice a day as per standard protocol.
Besides helpline numbers being activated, Phom also said that district surveillance units and rapid response teams were on high alert.
“A total of 25 isolation beds in public hospitals has been identified and kept ready for suspected cases. The department has been working in close coordination with private hospitals in the state,” Phom stated.
He also said that the State Public Health Emergency Operation Centre with Command Centre was made operational on January 28 while daily surveillance reports were being dispatched to the Central Surveillance Unit (CSU), Health ministry.
Zeliang also suggested screening of passengers entering the state through roads via Myanmar and Manipur from China.
Phom, however, said screening of passengers arriving at Dimapur airport is being done regularly since January 30 while advisories on 2019 nCoV were being regularly being published in local dailies and social media.
Leader of Opposition stated that the preventive measures taken up by the state government should be in full swing with scanning of passengers not only at the airport but also at the railway station and all entry points of Nagaland so as to keep the virus away from the state.