Even as the organisations from Peren and Mon appealed to the government not to send returnees tested positive for COVID-19 to home districts citing lack of proper healthcare facilities and shortage of manpower, the Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Nagaland, Y Kikheto Sema, who is also in charge of COVID-19 related activities for Dimapur district, Tuesday said that as per the revised standard operating procedure (SOP) asymptomatic persons would have to be sent to their respective home districts.
Addressing a press conference at the Commissioner Guest house, Dimapur here on Tuesday, Sema said as per the SOP, the patients should have been sent already, but keeping in mind the ground reality, they were being kept here so far.
Stating that SOP, which keeps changing now and then, cannot be followed in letter and spirit, APC said that once the hospital beds were full they would ultimately have to be sent to their respective districts. Sema added that Nagaland was not the only state that revises SOP from time to time according to the situation. APC reiterated that to implement all the SOP guidelines was difficult without knowing the ground reality.
He further maintained that once the capacity of Dimapur COVID-19 hospitals was full, the returnees from other districts would be sent to their respective districts. As per the revised SOP, Sema said even the asymptomatic person could sent to other districts.
However, APC said that as far as possible they were trying to retain the returnees in Dimapur, which in one way, was a violation of SOP.
Sema has, therefore, called upon the districts particularly Peren and Mon to cooperate and get mentally prepared to receive the returnees since Dimapur COVID-19 hospital was full. He added that they had no other choice, but to send some of the asymptomatic persons to their respective districts.
APC also urged the people to jointly fight the coronavirus, saying it was not the time to shy away from responsibilities.
Asserting that Team Dimapur had been trying their best and have been treating all districts fairly, Sema assured to continue delivering the best they could.
Sema also thanked the private doctors who have been extending their cooperation.
APC also acknowledged various schools and college institutions, which have been declared as quarantine centre, and requested them to continue their cooperation.
Meanwhile, APC has cautioned colonies and villages that were refusing to accept returnees even after the completion of 14 days quarantine. He said that action would be taken if such cases were reported.
Calling for joint effort to combat the pandemic, he said that until and unless everyone joined hands it would be difficult to fight the virus.