The full text of the press release issued by the Office of the Chief Minister, Nagaland, is as follows :

            “Dear Citizens of Nagaland,

            I am issuing this press release to inform you of the actions and initiatives which we have all taken collectively and to assure you that the State Government and all its agencies are working tirelessly with active cooperation of the people and the civil societies in combating the challenge of the present global pandemic.

            It is a matter of satisfaction that today, an IAF plane delivered the first batch of consignment of equipment for the BSL 3 Testing Lab that we are setting up at Naga Hospital Kohima. This will fulfil a pressing need of our state as we would not have to depend on laboratories outside the state. The process of setting up a test lab in CISHR is also going on.    

As regards, the positive case of one Dimapur resident, work of sealing the affected areas and tracing contacts is going on. 25 (twenty five) District Surveillance Teams are conducting Active Surveillance. Till now, 1391 persons have been interviewed and screened and 52 Close Contacts have been traced. The samples of co-passengers of the flight in which the affected person travelled are also being tested. It is assured that all efforts are being made by the Government to ensure fool proof containment. The Government has also extended cooked food and dry rations to more than 79,000 stranded persons, daily wagers, migrant labourers and other needy persons. More help is being planned for such people.

            The country wide lockdown measures have also created hardship to many people from Nagaland staying outside the State. Their welfare is being looked after by a Cell headed by a Nodal Officer for this purpose. They are also being provided help from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) through various organisations. Out of Rs. 2.95 crore donated in the CMRF including opening balance, an amount of Rs. 2.32 crore has been disbursed to Deputy Commissioners, Nagaland Houses and other organizations. All details are regularly posted on the website chiefminister.nagaland.gov.in.

            To deal with the COVID-19 situation, the State Government had already set up a Control Room at the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare as well as inter departmental state level control room at the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority for Covid 19.Now, in view of the current evovling situation, a State Level War Room against COVID-19 has also been made functional in the Nagaland Civil Secretariat headed by the Chief Secretary and this control centre is working round the clock as a single point to address all issues and matters related to the present situation.

            Friends, we along with the rest of the country, are also enforcing the lockdown measures across the State. The lockdown which has now got extended up till 3rd of May 2020 is extremely vital for preventing the spread of the Virus. I am grateful to all sections of the society for their wholehearted support and adherence to the lockdown measures. I would like to inform however, that because of the essential and urgent nature, certain activities like farming are exempt and need to be carried out even during the lock down period. This happens to be the sowing season and our farmers while maintaining social distancing should carry out the farming activities without fail. All concerned should ensure that there is no hindrance to the farming activity.

            The State Government is taking all measures to further improve our preparedness to fight the COVID 19 and we are certainly better prepared now than a few weeks ago though a lot more needs to be done. I am personally supervising the preparations and the Cabinet Ministers and Advisors and even opposition MLAs are contributing their bit to reach out to the districts. Our health workers, doctors, police personnel, municipal staff and the entire government machinery is working at the risk of their life and they need all our help and support.

            At this critical juncture, it is appealed to all section of our citizens including Tribal Hohos, civil societies, elected representatives and the people at large to help the government in these difficult times. While constructive criticism and suggestions are most welcome, it is my humble appeal to avoid pointing fingers at each other so as not to demoralise the people fighting in the forefront of this battle.I thank Almighty God for his guidace and protection so far and we extend our appreciation to all sections of the people for their constant prayer and support. I am confident that with the support of the people and the collective team work of all sections, we will prevail over this challenge in a positive manner and emerge as a stronger and more united society.

 God Bless. Stay Home & Stay Safe”

( DIPR)