Quarantine inmates being taken care of by Hailakandi administration

May 26: With stranded people returning in droves from different parts of the country, the Hailakandi district administration is making all out efforts to put necessary arrangements in place at the quarantine centres in housing these people. The administration has notified six government buildings and institutions as quarantine centre, besides setting up additional centres that could accommodate 1,000 plus people.

Deputy Commissioner, MN Dahal is personally inspecting the quarantine centres to take stock of the situation besides interacting with the officials and those staying there. District Information and Public Relations Officer, Sabir Nishat informed that the Deputy Commissioner makes regular inspection of the six notified quarantine centres and also isolation wards in hospitals in the district to acquire first-hand knowledge of the facilities being provided at these facilities such as drinking water, toilet, kitchen and sanitation.

Nishat said that during the course of the inspection, the Deputy Commissioner makes it a point to interact with the people living in these centres and enquired about their well being and also queried about the amenities given to them. Dahal’s assessment of the quarantine centres assume significance in the backdrop of a complaint by an inmate on social media about poor quality of food and impure water being provided at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) quarantine centre set up to check spread of infection.

Refuting the allegations after visiting the JNV quarantine centre at Monacherra, around nine kms away from the district headquarters, Nishat said the occupants of the centre appreciated the district administration’s efforts in making arrangements for them and informed that they don’t have any problem whatsoever. “Proper care is being taken of the inmates in the quarantine centre. A team comprising senior officials constantly monitors and ensures the quality and quantity of food being served to the inmates. The officer on duty has to submit the status report every 12 hourly about the status of quarantine centre,” said Nishat, adding that the food served is hot as JNV has a proper mess facility it being a residential school.

Quarantine incharge, Rajiv Kumar Jha said the water purifier installed at the centre has been checked by the Public Health Engineering Department and found the water being provided to the inmates free from impurities. “The complaint lodged by an inmate of water being contaminated is false and baseless,” said Jha. The centre presently housing 125 inmates are lodged in five different hostels maintaining all SoP in force. 41 inmates were released on Tuesday after their swab samples tested negative and they would spent the remaining period under home quarantine. Morning tea, breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner are being served to the inmates.

Nishat said that the administration has constituted hygiene and refreshment cells for smooth and hassle-free management of the quarantine centres. Meanwhile, DC, Dahal appealed to the incoming people that “everyone should stay at quarantine centre for a specified period as it is in everyone’s interest. Everyone should maintain social distancing norms as this is the only effective way to deal with the problem of coronavirus.”