WSYF urges Govt to expedite setting up of BSL-2 Lab in Dimapur

Dimapur, May 29: The Western Sumi Youth Front (WSYF) today said that the COVID-19 cases detected in the state following the arrival of returnees from Chennai and the recent spike in the cases has placed the citizens of Nagaland at an edge compounded with only one functional BSL-3 Lab at Kohima.
It said with more than 4000 returnees inside the state and with hundreds arriving on daily basis, the Government should expedite setting up of BSL-2 Lab in Dimapur and more of similar facilities in other districts also.
In a press release, the WSYF welcomed the decision of the government to send the returnees to their respective districts only after testing, but said the moves comes with a burden and huge possibility of keeping the returnees in Dimapur and Kohima even beyond the government prescribed 14 days mandatory institutional quarantine given the fact that the daily testing capacity in Kohima’s BSL-3 is only around 90 samples.
Therefore, it called upon the Government to expedite the setting up of the BSL-2 Lab in Dimapur, adding the early and urgent completion of BSL-2 Lab in Dimapur would definitely contribute to discharging more persons daily thus creating space to accommodate new returnees.
The WSYF also said sealing of borders only in the main check gate and few pockets would be meaningless, if larger portion of open borders in Aghunaqa, Khaghaboto, Kuhuboto and Niuland areas are left unattended and unchecked since the areas are in immediate proximity with Assam villages and towns. It appealed to the state government to work out some mechanism to see that the inflow of unknown persons from Assam side are checked with proper security forces especially at main entry and exit points.
In other porous points, the communities in the border areas will continue to keep a check within their respective jurisdictions, it added.
The WSYF further appealed to the government to wake up to the fact that once any person with positive case enters through the border areas, the consequences would be unimaginable since there is no quarantining of people who enter Dimapur district through these border areas.
The infected person/s would continue to go about his daily activities and would be infecting more and more people, it stated. (Page News Service)