SHILLONG, May 25: With the cases of COVID-19 rising alarmingly in parts of the Northeast, DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday asked the Health Secretaries of the eight states in the region to adopt strict enforcement measures and widen the scope of testing and contact tracing.
Singh, who convened an urgent meeting to discuss the scenario in the Northeast, insisted on the strict enforcement of COVID-appropriate behaviour and the management of micro containment zones, wherever it is deemed necessary.
The meeting was attended by the Health Secretaries of the eight states as well as the Secretary, DoNER Ministry, the Secretary of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and the Joint Secretary In-charge, Northeast in the Health Ministry.
Singh said the NE had remained relatively unaffected compared to many other states during the last wave of the pandemic. He pointed out that Sikkim did not have a single positive case throughout the lockdown period. In sharp contrast, the NE states have suddenly started registering a steep rise in the number of the cases in the last two weeks. (Contd on P-4)
Adopt stricter curbs…
(Contd from P-1) He said he has been in constant touch with the CMs of the Northeast and whatever help is sought by them is being promptly provided from the Centre.
Singh said the immediate resolve should be to find ways and means of ensuring that the rising graph of COVID cases starts flattening. He said in the coming weeks, the Centre will supply enough vaccines to all the Northeastern states and a schedule for the same is being given final touches by the Health Ministry.
He asked the states to prepare and send COVID and health-related proposals on a priority basis and promised speedy disposal of the proposals from the Centre.
He said the DoNER Ministry has convened a meeting on June 2 for acting on the proposals submitted by four states. He asked the other states to submit their proposals on an urgent basis. All proposals related to hospitals, oxygen plants, mobile testing vans and those related to fighting the pandemic would be accorded the highest priority, he said.
The minister said he was taking daily updates from the eight states about COVID prevalence and necessary healthcare facilities and infrastructure to fight the pandemic in an effective manner. He expressed satisfaction that the states have sufficient bed capacities and oxygen stock.
“The Ministry of DoNER and the NEC are taking proactive steps in supplementing and augmenting the COVID-related infrastructure,” Singh said.
He directed the Health officials to prepare a comprehensive roadmap by the next week to arrest the rising number of the cases and fatalities.
