Following advice and suggestions from Centre, Imphal East to start house to house testing today
State Govt adopts 'whole of society' approach, 'micro-containment' steps
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 09 2021: Informing that all new Covid cases in Manipur are of the Delta variant, the State Government has adopted a 'whole of society' approach to tackle the pandemic and has decided to enforce micro-containment zones more stringently.

The Delta variant has higher transmissibility and also higher possibility of adverse symptoms.

The State Government has also announced that a special house to house Covid testing process shall be taken up by sending out mobile teams.

The special drive will be over and above the contact tracing and testing process which will continue.

For the house to house Covid testing exercise, DCs and CMOs shall co-ordinate with elected representatives/local clubs and each DC shall designate a district nodal officer and supporting staff by utilising staff from different departments.

The new exercise will start in Imphal East at Achanpigei area from tomorrow wherein two members of each household will be tested.

This is inclusive of one who moves out and another who does not.

An order to this effect has been issued by the DC today evening.

In case any member is found positive, all members of the family sharing the same boundary (Kollup) will be tested.

The new approach is being taken up on the advice of the Centre which recently deputed a team from New Delhi to take stock of the situation here.

'Whenever there is a fresh positive case, Deputy Commissioners shall issue orders declaring micro-containment zones.

At this moment it is vital that these micro-containment zones are enforced most stringently,' said an order issued by the Chief Secretary today evening.

All persons inside micro-containment zones should isolate completely during the notified period, said the order and added that there should be no visitors, including relatives and friends.

Appealing all to the cooperate in the 'whole of society' approach, the Chief Secretary said that respective DCs and SPs shall enforce stringent isolation and urged all including elected representatives, local clubs and families to co-operate.

All persons in the micro-containment zone should wear face masks inside the house also to prevent infection within the household, added the order.

Deputy Commissioners in co-ordination with the elected representatives/local clubs will facilitate purchase/delivery of essential commodities as required.

Urging all to comply with the new measures, the Chief Secretary said that SPs shall arrange daily visits by police personnel to the micro-containment zones to ensure compliance.

Anyone found violating the restrictions shall be booked under relevant provisions of the law.

The order further said that whenever a micro-containment zone order is issued, it is desirable that other nearby houses outside the zone should also adopt self isolation to the maximum extent possible.

The Chief Secretary further said that whenever a house is found not suitable for home isolation, the DC and CMO shall arrange shifting the infected person/s to Community Home Isolation Centre (CHIC) or Covid Care Centre.

Stating that undetected or asymptomatic persons are another major source of spreading the virus, all should take immediate Covid tests and self isolate whenever there is any symptom or doubt, said the Chief Secretary and added that free testing facilities are available in all the districts of Manipur to help ramp up testing.

Comment