Considering the medical advice in the backdrop of high number of Covid-19 positive cases in the State and as per feedbacks received from all district task forces (DTFs), High Powered Committee (HPC) has decided to extend the State-wide total lockdown with existing guidelines till June 11.
Informing this to media at a press conference after an HPC meeting, committee’s spokesperson and planning & coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs minister Neiba Kronu said the decision to extend the lockdown was taken following a presentation given by the Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department on the current situation.
As per clinical and epidemiological criteria, the H&FW department pointed out that there should be 28 days of lockdown to help the virus complete two incubation cycles of two weeks each. Hence, considering the advice of the H&FW department and based on the feedbacks from DTFs, the decision to extend the lockdown was taken, he added.
In a joint statement, HPC spokespersons Neiba Kronu and Mmhonlumo Kikon said that in order to check spread of the virus in rural areas, a system of community surveillance was put in place. For this, DTFs would take steps to strengthen village task forces/village disaster management authorities, adding they would operate under the supervision of respective DTFs for effective management of Covid-19 in the rural areas. Further, HPC said that the ongoing vaccination would continue to be aggressively implemented across the State and remarked that all village and ward/colony authorities could be mobilised to organise suitable slots for vaccination in order to streamline the ongoing vaccination drive.
It was also decided that over and above the 15% of LADP fund earmarked for Common Pool activities, an additional 10% will be kept aside for COVID-19 related expenditure excluding those earmarked for Iconic Projects for COVID-19 related expenditure as per the requirement of the respective DTFs, for this, the planning department was asked to issue separate guidelines.
Further, HPC urged ministers, advisors and MLAs who have already been assigned to districts to monitor implementation of effective measures to prevent and control Covid-19, to go their respective districts to take stock of the situation.
O2 plants operational, more to be set up
The two newly installed Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants in Dimapur and Kohima have been made operational, while installation plants Mokokchung, was completed while more are in the pipeline. According to officials, oxygen plants for eight more districts will installed– six from UNICEF and two from UNDP.
Further, two 1000 LPM plants from the Defence Research and Development Organisation will be set up at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima and Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research Dimapur .
Oxygen depots: The state government has set up two oxygen depots and refilling centre to cater to the needs of various districts
The state depot has been set up at Police Complex, Chumukidema which covers Dimapur, Kohima, Wokha, Phek, Peren and Kiphire districts. The zonal depot at Mokokchung caters to Mokokchung, Tuensang, Noklak, Longleng and Zunheboto districts while in Mon the oxygen refilling is done directly with Sivasagar/ Dibrugarh plants.
Status of oxygen stock: Meanwhile, the state currently has 1864 D Type oxygen cylinders, 2544 B Type, 212 A Type cylinders and 847 oxygen concentrators.