People returning by droves quarantined in Hailakandi district

21 May: 33 inbound passengers from Andhra Pradesh reached Hailakandi by 07056 Lingampally-Jiribam special shramik train in the wee hours on Thursday. Officials of the district administration and police received them at the Badarpur Railway Station and took them to the facilitation desk manned by health personnel. They were ferried to the inbound passenger facilitation centre at Dholeswari Point by ASTC buses. Medical check-up and screening, including throat swab were taken.Though the administration received a list of 10 passengers arriving by this train, more than double passengers disembarked.

50 persons from Bengalaru also arrived by ASTC buses from Guwahati Railway Station to Dholeswari Point where they were screened and swab samples collected. One person arrived by Dehradun-Jiribam shramik special train while no passenger alighted from the Mumbai-Agartala train. Till the filing of this report at 6.20 pm, 84 persons reached here from outside the state.

Deputy Commissioner, MN Dahal, District Development Commissioner, Vikram Dev Sarma, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Health, EL Faihraem and other officials were present at the site. On Wednesday 119 passengers arrived Hailakandi by 7219 Vijaywada-Jiribam special shramik train. Meanwhile, the administration has put the returnees under facility quarantine centres and home quarantine.

An official of the administration said those coming from outside the state sent to their homes would have to remain under quarantine for a period of 14 days along with the rest of their family members. “This means the entire home will be quarantined and nobody including their family members will be allowed to come out of their homes,” added the official.

Deputy Commissioner, MN Dahal has instructed the officers concerned who are members of the village level home quarantine committee to ensure that these people strictly follow home quarantine norms. “Their requirement for food and other necessities will be taken care of by the respective BDOs,” said Dahal, adding that the officers must sensitise the ground level functionaries to be vigilant and to work in close liaison.

The state government has stipulated that a person coming from outside and put under home quarantine will be considered as containment zone and all the residents of that house will have to follow the home quarantine norms. Village level home quarantine committee has been constituted in each gaon panchayat with the gaon panchayat president as chairperson, ward member, ASHA, MPW, ANM, Anganwadi worker and two leading citizens of the village as members and gaonburah as member secretary.