News Analysis India

Tag: Nagaland Lockdown

  • Nagaland asks staff to get vaccinated or show no-Covid report to receive salary

    By PTI
    KOHIMA: The Nagaland government on Saturday said that it will not allow employees posted in the civil secretariat and directorate offices to join duty and stop their salaries if they are not vaccinated against coronavirus or fail to provide Covid negative certificates every 15 days.

    The High Powered Committee (HPC) on COVID-19 made the decision on Friday in the interests of public health and safety, Chief Secretary J Alam said in an order.

    “All employees/staff in the Nagaland Civil Secretariat and Directorates will be required to be vaccinated to attend office, or to produce COVID-19 negative test report by getting tested every 15-days through either RT-PCR, TruNat, or CBNAAT on self-payment basis as per government approved rates,” the order stated.

    The salaries of those who have not taken a single dose of the vaccine against coronavirus or who will fail to furnish COVID-19 negative test report will be stopped beyond July 31, 2021, and they would not attend office, it said.

    The period of absence of such employees will be treated as leave without pay, the order said.

    The chief secretary directed the head of departments in the secretariat and directorates to enforce the directive and submit a report to the Home Department on or before 15th of every month giving in detail the status of vaccination or submission of Covid-19 negative test report of all employees, and the salaries deducted until further notice.

    Meanwhile, Nagaland would be entering into the Unlock-3 phase from Sunday.

    The chief secretary issued another order extending the ongoing lockdown measures for 15 more days from July 18 to August 1 in the state with further relaxations.

    Colleges are allowed to reopen from July 26 provided all teaching and non-teaching staff have taken both doses of Covid vaccine or at least 15 days have passed since they were administered the first dose, the order said.

    Schools are also allowed to reopen for classes 11 and 12 from August 2 if the same conditions as for the colleges are met, it said.

    A government spokesperson on Friday had said that schools would be allowed to reopen for classes 11 and 12 from July 26.

    Social, political, religious and other gatherings are allowed to a maximum of 50 people when the events are held indoors, and a maximum of 100 people when they are conducted outdoors, subject to strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviours.

    Restaurants can resume operations at 50 per cent capacity if the employees are fully vaccinated or at least a fortnight has passed after they took the first dose, the order said.

    District authorities have been asked to map areas for micro-containment zones in case the situation so warrants, as per the detailed guidelines to be issued.

    The order stated that returnees and travellers entering the state who are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated will not be tested for COVID-19 at the point of entry or quarantined.

    Those who have taken the first dose of the vaccine and at least 15 days have passed since taking it will be quarantined for seven days, the order said.

    The chief secretary also asked District Task Forces to enforce that people like shopkeepers, barbers and taxi drivers display their vaccination status.

  • Nagaland announces seven-day Unlock 2 from July 11

    By PTI
    KOHIMA: The Nagaland government on Thursday announced the second phase of unlock for seven days from July 11, government spokesperson Neiba Kronu said.

    Before this, Unlock 1 was initiated in the northeastern state for 10 days from July 1.

    A meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) for COVID-19 headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday decided to begin Unlock-2 with further relaxations, Kronu, who is also the Minister for Planning and Coordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, said.

    The HPC decided to relax shopping hours from 6 am to 4 pm, he said.

    Sports activities would also be allowed with a gathering of up to 100 people.

    A COVID-19 negative report has been made mandatory for persons entering the state.

    The test should be conducted not before 72 hours of entry.

    HPC co-spokesperson and advisor Mmhonlumo Kikon said that the meeting also decided to permit stoppage of select trains at Dimapur, the only train station of the state, from July 11 by adhering to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs).

    The HPC also reviewed the states preparedness for a possible third wave of the pandemic.

    Meanwhile, 105 more people recuperated from the infection, and 64 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, increasing the tally to 25,727, a health official said.

    “64 positive cases detected today are Kohima: 21, Mokokchung: 18, Dimapur: 12, Mon: 5, Person: 3, Longleng: 2, Wokha, Tuensang & Zunheboto: 1,” said State Nodal Officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Dr.Nyanthung Kikon in the daily COVID-19 bulletin.

    He also said that 105 positive patients Tuensang: 36, Kohima: 35, Mokokchung: 21, Dimapur: 19, Peren:6, Mon: 5, and Phek 3 recovered during the day increasing the number of recovered patients to 23,501.

    This has taken the recovery rate to 91.35 per cent from 91.08 per cent on Wednesday.

    With no fresh fatality, the coronavirus death toll in the state remained unchanged at 505, he said.

    At present there are 1,004 active cases in Nagaland and altogether 717 COVID-19 patients have migrated to other states, he said.

    So far, a total of 2,35,080 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in Nagaland, Dr.Kikon said.

    A total of 5,75,023 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to 4,93,685 people, of whom 81,338 received both doses, said State Immunisation Officer Dr.Ritu Thurr.

  • 10-day unlock to commence in Nagaland from July 1 

    By PTI
    KOHIMA: After a lockdown for one and a half months, the Nagaland government on Monday decided to begin a 10-day unlock period in the state from July 1, senior minister Neiba Kronu said.

    Addressing a press conference at the State Civil Secretariat here, government spokesperson for COVID-19 and Minister for Planning & Coordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, Kronu said, “As the way forward, the High Powered Committee (HPC) on COVID-19 has decided to go for Unlock 1 from July 1 to 10”.

    The decision to this effect was taken during a virtual meeting of the HPC on COVID-19, headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, as an outcome of the June 26 video conference interaction of the COVID-19 War Room, headed by Chief Secretary J Alam, with the District Task Force (DTF) on the prevailing coronavirus situation.

    The ongoing lockdown was scheduled to end on June 30, he said.

    The 10-day period from July 1 with more relaxations will be an observation period for unlocking and reducing COVID-19 curbs in the state, Kronu said.

    From July 1, the HPC has decided to provide relaxations, including opening of business establishments and shops on a rotation basis, he said.

    The curfew period or total restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles, earlier imposed from 4 pm to 5 am, has also been reduced.

    It will now be in force from 7 pm to 4 am, considering the agriculture season, he said.

    The respective DTFs will have the powers to further ease or add restrictions considering the local situations, he said.

    Government offices will resume with 50 per cent staff in attendance.

    Churches, weddings, and funeral services will also be permitted with a maximum of 50 people, the minister said.

    Nagaland entered into a total lockdown from May 14, considering the high surge in COVID-19 infections, and it had been extended four times, with relaxations.

    Nagalands COVID-19 positivity rate at the start of the total lockdown to curb the spread of the virus on May 14, was 24.66 per cent, while the overall positivity rate was 10.23 per cent.

    The daily positivity rate has now come down to 8.26 per cent, while the overall positivity rate is 12.8 per cent, said Deputy Director of Health and Family Welfare Department Dr Nyanthung Kikon.

    The state has also improved the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, from as low as 71.98 per cent on May 17 to 89.14 per cent on Sunday, with the caseload standing at 24,961, of which only 1,523 are active.

    So far, 25,161 COVID-19 patients have been cured of the disease in nagaland.

    The death toll stands at 487 while 700 patients have migrated to other states.

    Kronu, who is also the government spokesperson, said, to avoid future lockdowns, COVID-19 appropriate behaviour should be strictly maintained by all.

    COVID-19 testing and vaccination of people will be carried out in full swing, he said.

    Asked about the opening of educational institutions, Principal Secretary Abhijit Sinha said, the closure of schools, and colleges will continue to remain in force, while there will be no stoppage of trains in the state for the time being.

    The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for “Unlock-1” will be issued by the Home Department, while the respective DTFs have been empowered to take localised decisions, Sinha said.

  • Nagaland extends lockdown till June 11 as COVID cases spike

    By PTI
    KOHIMA: The Nagaland government on Friday extended the total lockdown in the state till June 11.

    The lockdown, first imposed on May 14 for seven days, was earlier extended till May 31.

    The decision to further extend the lockdown till June 11 was taken by the High Powered Committee (HPC) on COVID-19, headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

    In the meeting, the Health and Family Welfare Department made a presentation on the status of the COVID-19 case, beds and oxygen availability and the trend of hospitalisations, among others, said minister Neiba Kronu.

    In view of the number of COVID-19 cases in the state and the feedback given by the District Task Forces (DTFs), the decision to extend the lockdown till June 11 was taken, he said.

    The state on Friday reported 192 new cases, increasing the COVID-19 tally to 21,215.

    The highest number of cases were detected in Dimapur at 61, followed by Tuensang (47) and Kohima (26).

    Five more people died in the state, raising the toll to 343.

    There are 4,990 active cases in Nagaland at present, while 15,258 patients have recovered.

    The state government is satisfied that the existing lockdown measures are required to continue in order to break the chain and prevent the spread of COVID-19, said the official notification issued by Chief Secretary J Alam on the lockdown extension.

    The existing guidelines would continue to be in place — all activities and movement of people will remain suspended, except essential services, agriculture and construction works.

    Shops dealing in essential commodities would be allowed to remain open from 6 am to 12 noon daily and only one person per family has to do the shopping, as per the guidelines.

    Advisor Mmhonlumo Kikon said the committee has asked the DTFs to submit a detailed report on the welfare of the unorganised sectors, including taxi and bus drivers, and other daily wage earners Minister Kronu said it was also decided that over and above the 15 percent of Local Area Development Programme (LADP) fund earmarked for common pool activities, an additional 10 percent will be kept aside for COVID-19 related expenditure.

    The Planning Department will issue separate guidelines on this, he said.

    To check the spread of the virus in rural areas, a system of community surveillance has been put in place, while the DTFs have been asked to take steps to strengthen the Village Task Forces and Village Disaster Management Authorities, he said.

    They shall remain operational under the supervision of the respective DTFs for effective management of COVID-19 in the rural areas, he said.

    All village and ward/colony authorities would be mobilised to organise suitable slots for vaccination in order to streamline the ongoing vaccination drive, the minister said.