Be extra cautious: Singngat MLA appeals to public
Source: The Sangai Express

CCpur, April 20 2020: With cases of COVID-19 reported in areas located along the Myanmar side of the International border that is in close proximity with villages on the Indian side, Singngat MLA Ginsuanhau has today appealed to the public of his AC to be extra cautious and effectively sealed the border.

The MLA, whose electorates are for ages traversing the International border and are still dependent on each other, made the clarion call in a bid to prevent the global pandemic from landing on the Indian side though restrictions were already put in place.

The efforts of the State police and other security agencies will not suffice without the active backing and participation of the village chiefs and the villagers, he wrote on the statement issued today.

Manipur, for now, may be free of the virus but there is no guarantee that it will not resurface, he added.

The Chairman ADC Churachandpur Paukhanlian along with several of his colleagues and the CEO ADC have also convened a meeting with members of the local CSOs and the local press to discuss the current situation in the district.

Ways to enforce the lockdown after they are partially eased by the Government without compromising on safety measures and the need to improve vigilance along the border came up prominently during the discussion.

The need for a better and well define contingency plans to tackle any eventuality was also raised by some of the members.

Meanwhile, sources said that conditions in the District Hospital Churachandpur is not satisfactory to handle any COVID-19 patients even for transit as there is no properly set-up isolation ward even after the conclusion of the first phase of 21-days lockdown.

Life-saving equipment meant for patients, safety equipment for medical staff including the very crucial PPEs are on nominal and minimal stocks.

There are also no proper direction and provision on how the treating centre for suspected cases are to be set up until two days back despite the visit by a team of expert said the source privy to details of the hospital's preparedness.

In these circumstances, identification of even a single positive case will overwhelm the system and the medical personnel themselves could pose a big threat for the public as they could very well be the source of having an outbreak in the district, it added.

The recent case of soiled face masks, which is part of the PPEs for medical staff being supplied to the district is one startling fact of the ground reality.

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