Nagaland H&FW
Image Courtesy: H&FW Nagaland/Facebook)
Says people listed in the contact dossier traced
Morung Express News
Kohima/Dimapur | April 2
Against the backdrop of a purportedly “secret” document containing a list of phone numbers, which was leaked on social media on March 31, the Nagaland state authorities finally opened up today.
The document, though not officially admitted by the state government, was compiled in Delhi as a means to identify and trace people, who might have been near or exposed to a COVID-19 affected site in Delhi, using cellular footprint.
A copy of the document was also received by the state government to aid in verifying and tracing the holders of the numbers listed. It was supposed to be a confidential operation but by afternoon on March 31, it got leaked taking social media by storm.
On April 2, a team of journalists in Kohima called on the state Nodal Officer for COVID-19, Dr. Nyanthung Kikon with the intention of clearing doubts and a perceived government reluctance to disclose information in connection to the document.
Responding to queries from the media team, Dr Kikon, while allaying public apprehension, assured that there is no cause for alarm as all precautionary steps have been taken by the state Health & Family Welfare Department.
According to him, the COVID-19 Surveillance Team swung into action as soon as a “hard copy” of the document was received. Contrary to the initial public anxiety that prevailed on March 31, he clarified that not all the people, whose numbers were registered in Nagaland, were or are here in the state presently.
A total of 64 numbers with Nagaland as the registration address were identified, out of which 35 turned out to be of people currently either out or not from the state.
The location of 25 others was traced to Nagaland, who were contacted and necessary actions taken as per the Standard Operating Procedure. They had no connection whatsoever with the Tablighi Jamaat, he said, while adding that they were either passing by or shopping in the surrounding markets leaving behind their mobile/digital footprint.
While not officially disclosed, some of the people traced also included those who reached/entered the state after March 6 and were either in Home Isolation or quarantine facility after self-declaring through the state COVID-19 Helplines. Dr Kikon said that they have shown no signs and symptoms so far.
The location of three others, included in the “low risk category, was still to be traced as their phones remain switched off. There was one, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat on March 8-9, and quarantined immediately, he informed. He had also shown no symptoms but swab samples were taken for tests.
Two others, who were not in the list, were also traced through the assistance of the Muslim community in Dimapur and placed in isolation, he added. These two have tested negative.
Nonetheless, he said that exercising abundance of caution and Nizamuddin as a hotspot for COVID-19 in the country, second testing of those people will be carried out on the fifth day of the quarantine period.
On the rumours that are doing round on social media, Dr. Kikon said, “we have to be factual and not believe in rumours that’s spreading.”
He further informed that the surveillance team has contacted the numbers of other people from Nagaland listed in the document.
“They turned out to be security people posted there. They are not here in Nagaland at the moment,” he said, while clarifying that they have not attended the congregation in any form or manner.
He also informed that 1500 PPEs, 11,000 N95 masks and sanitisers have been distributed to all the districts, while ventilators and cardiac monitors have been sent to Dimapur, Kohima and Mokokchung.
The rest of the ventilators, he said will be given to the other districts after training the medical personnel on the operation of the machine, which will be conducted very soon.
Two consignments were received and more consignments to reach the state by next week.
In an as yet unreported upshot of the leaked document, The Morung Express learned thattwo families were chased out of their homes by local residents.
Regretting the incident which happened due to lack of proper information and knowledge, Dr Kikon said the Health Minister arranged two ambulances to relocate the displaced families to a secure facility.
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