The Mizoram government has allowed home quarantine for returnees to ease the rush in designated quarantine facilities, a senior official said on Monday.
Chief secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo told The Telegraph that the government has encouraged home quarantine for state residents who are returning provided they meet the requirement as laid down in the standard operating procedures, because government facilities might not be enough to accommodate all the returnees.
He said any person seeking home quarantine should apply to the district-level task force chairman after obtaining due permission from a medical officer or district medical board subject to clearance of Rapid Antibody Test on arrival at a designated location or facility.
The applicant should also furnish the recommendation of the local-level or village task force, certifying the availability of dedicated bedroom and toilet facilities for the person(s) to be put under home quarantine, he said.
Chuaungo said the state government was taking all necessary steps to ensure screening of arrivals at entry points or quarantine centres.
An official of task group on quarantine facilities told this correspondent that the government has set up more than 500 quarantine facilities, including 170 halls offered by churches to accommodate about 14,000 people. He said the government required facilities which could accommodate at least 20,000 people .
According to him, 1,222 people were lodged at designated quarantine facilities, 203 at church halls, 163 as home quarantine and another seven at hotels till Sunday.
Air service: Principal consultant for civil aviation, Wing Commander J. Lalhmingliana, told The Telegraph that Air India would resume operations on the Calcutta-Imphal-Aizawl route from Thursday (May 28) three days behind the Centre’s schedule to recommence domestic flights from Monday.
He said the airline would operate Airbus 319 thrice a week — Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. He said another two airlines – GoAir and IndiGo — were yet to intimate their schedule for recommencement of flight service from Aizawl. Under secretary in the state home department Zahmingthanga told this correspondent that they will write to Union ministry of civil aviation to arrange additional flights on May 29 and 30.
Nagaland returnees
Another batch of 378 stranded citizens reached Dimapur from Gurgaon, Haryana, by a special train on Monday.
Agriculture production commissioner Y. Kikheto Sema, who is also Dimapur in-charge for Covid-19 related activities, Dimapur deputy commissioner Anoop Khinchi, commissioner of police Rothihu Tetseo, among others, received the returnees at Dimapur.
On arrival, they were taken to Agri Expo site here on 16 buses.
The returnees were then sent to the quarantine centres on completion of the laid down procedures.
Food packets and water bottles were provided to the returnees proceeding to Kohima.
Mortal remains: The mortal remains of Nchineileu Disuang who died on the special train coming from Gurgaon on May 22, were brought to her native village Beisumpuikam under Peren district on Monday.
Additional reporting by Bhadra Gogoi in Dimapur