NEW DELHI: Northeastern states have managed the COVID-19 outbreak better than some states in the mainland because of the disciplined habit of its people, Jitendra Singh, Minister for DoNER, said on Saturday, while the Union Health minister, Harsh Vardhan, flagged the problem of spitting in public places.
The Northeastern region, which has traditionally been disciplined, has emerged as the model of coronavirus management and the rest of the country should emulate it, the Union minister said while talking to the media here. He also had words of thanks for the self help groups led by women of the region who stepped in to domestically produce face masks and personal protective equipment.
All the eight northeastern states – Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Assam – have been following the lockdown-related guidelines in letter and spirit. “By tradition and by lifestyle, people of Northeastern region are civilised and disciplined,” he said.
“During the lockdown due to COVID-19, entire Northeast has become model for the whole country to emulate it,” he said, adding that the way people are adhering to these guidelines is commendable. Singh said five out of eight Northeastern states are free from this deadly virus now and Sikkim never had a single case throughout.
“The spread of the deadly virus in the Northeastern region by far has been contained by the support of people and the administration,” the minister added.
Singh said there is no shortage of essential commodities and medical equipment in the entire region.”I can say very confidently that the whole Northeastern region is guiding the entire nation in the efficient ways to contain the pandemic,” he said.
Spitting trouble
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday also stressed on the need to take concrete action to check the use of non-smoking tobacco and prohibit spitting in public places which will help in preventing the spread of the infection, according to a statement.
The minister reviewed the status of COVID-19 in the Northeastern states along with the measures taken for its containment and management.
During the high-level meeting with Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, Vardhan appreciated the dedication of all the states in combating COVID-19.
“It is a huge relief and very encouraging to see green zones in most Northeastern states. As of date, only Assam and Tripura have active COVID-19 cases. Other states are all in the green zone. Let us focus and work together by converting the orange zones to green zones and maintain the protective status across the states,” Vardhan was quoted as saying in the statement. He flagged the large prevalence of non-smoking tobacco usage in some of the states and the problem of spitting in public places. “Strong reforms are needed in this direction,” Vardhan said while appreciating the effort of states that have banned the use of chewing tobacco and ordered imposition of fine for spitting in public places.
During the detailed interaction, the states highlighted various issues related to testing facilities, health infrastructure, surveillance, contact tracing etc. and also shared their best practices, the statement stated.
To maintain the positive status of COVID-19 management in the North East, the Union minister advised them to ensure that the returning migrant labourers, students and those from abroad are screened and quarantined as per the guidelines and protocol laid down by the by ministries of Health and External Affairs, the statement said. For the states that have international borders, the minister stated that they need to take adequate measures in the border areas to prevent exposure by conducting screening of all individuals at entry points and following quarantine protocol as per the guidelines, it said. (With inputs from PTI)
