CM confers with CSO leaders to curb pandemic
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 19 2021:
Chief minister N Biren Singh held a virtual conference with leaders of CSOs of both hills and valley of the state on Wednesday and discussed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as well as loopholes, if any, in handling it and the needful to contain the pandemic successfully.
After hearing suggestions from CSOs leaders, Biren said that the suggestions brought out by CSO leaders on containing the pandemic were valuable and assured of doing the needful to solve shortage of doctors in interior areas.
On the matter relating to denial of entry of Task Force volunteers in certain areas, the chief minister assured of taking up necessary action in consultation with home department and an order in this regard will be circulated with necessary measures.
While asserting that the fight against COVID-19 pandemic is a joint war, the chief minister strongly called for collective effort to defeat the virus.
He also said that taking precaution is the best way to prevent the virus and consulting doctor and early treatment at hospital whenever there is suspicion of contracting the virus will be the right step.
The chief minister also appealed to CSO leaders to take part in virtual conference like the one held on Wednesday every week or after two weeks.
UCM general secretary Kh Athouba, who took part in the virtual conference, shared his experience as a Covid patient and said that home isolation has very high chance of spreading the virus to other members of the house though the virus might not spread to the locality.
He also said that there are many loopholes in treating a patient in home isolation and phone calls from the department were unsatisfactory as they never asked about condition of the patient and guidelines to be maintained.
He also stressed the need for making contact testing mandatory by the department if a person is found positive and the need for keeping positive people in Community Isolation Centre to prevent spread of the virus in the locality.
He also suggested setting up of Community Isolation Centre in every assembly constituency though food and other edibles could be managed by families of the patients.
The UCM leader also said that the locality-wise data of positive people is not complete as also surveillance of the State Surveillance team and stressed the need for inclusion of at least two members from every locality.
Expressing fear of possible third wave of the pandemic, the UCM leader suggested keeping those coming from outside through air and through Mao and Jiri gates for 14 days in quarantine as did in the first wave and allowing them to return home only after testing negative.
AMUCO president Nando Luwang, who also attended the virtual conference, suggested finding of an alternative to home isolation while maintaining that Coronavirus is independent when a positive person is kept at home and it would be difficult to defeat the virus in such a condition.
He also drew attention of experts on reviewing home isolation mode of treatment.
He also demanded clarity from the government on exact role to be played by CSOs while fighting the pandemic collectively and expressed hope that containing the virus would be easy if CSOs are given precise responsibility.
He also said that there must be a space to connect between the government and CSO leaders on the collective fight to defeat the virus.