Coronavirus: Amid Mounting Death Toll, Tripura Govt to Set Up 4 New Quarantine Camps & Close Border Haats

Agartala, March 12, 2020:

With the the death toll of the international pandemic coronavirus having crossed 4,000, the Tripura government is contemplating to set up 4 new quarantine camps across the state. The Chief Secretary in a recently held meeting has directed the health department to finalize areas where these camps can be set up, a highly placed source in the health and family welfare department told Inside Northeast. The source also informed us that the already there were 4 such camps had been set up to prevent a sudden outbreak of the deadly COVID-19.

“Till date, there are no cases in the state. But, the department is taking all the preventive measures to combat sudden crisis if it emerges”, the source said. Upon being asked on the Tripura native who had been banned from entering Bangladesh, the source informed us that the person is running a high fever and has been directed to undergo tests.

Meanwhile, in accordance with the advises issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the state government has issued fresh directive to avoid and contain the spread of COVID-19 (Noval coronavirus) diseases and closed down all Border Haats until further order.

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The advisory issued by the Health and Family Welfare department of the state government also requested all concerned to avoid mass gatherings in any form or possibly postpone them till the coronavirus outbreak is contained. The department has also urged officials to take necessary action on restrictions on mass gatherings and in case such gathering cannot be avoided, the organizers should ensure precautions as per standard protocols.

The health department said that to contain the chain of infection particularly from Bangladesh immigrants, the Land Custom Authority and BSF authority should issue necessary directive to all of their staffs deployed in the LCS to follow the personal hygiene protocol.

For the time being, immigrants with suspected case history and suffering from any respiratory symptoms should be assessed properly before their entry into the state and moreover, all the Border Haats may be closed down for the time being in consultation with Bangladesh authority.

The directives also asked the all district magistrates (DMs) to take necessary initiatives for sanitization drive at periodical interval in all buses, track terminus, shopping malls, cinema halls etc and should taken awareness generation drive in all public places.

oThe department also ordered the authorities to ensure setting up of Help Desk at Dharmanagar railway station, ISBT and inter-state truck terminus (ISTT) for awareness generation and self reporting by travelers.

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