Guwahati/Agartala, March 29 With two positive coronavirus cases found last week, the northeastern states on Sunday further stepped up their efforts to reach out to people and maintain the supply of essentials.
Several northeastern states have asked the Central government to sanction allocation of rice, fuel and cooking gas. According to the officials of Airport Authority of India, Alliance Air has been operating special cargo flights to carry various medical equipment, medicines, protective gears and medical necessities from Delhi to different northeastern states.
Many organisations and individuals have been donating money to the Chief Ministers' Relief Fund to aid the governments' efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
In Guwahati, Assam police declared a series of helpline numbers in all 33 districts besides a central control room facility in the police headquarters to address various issues arising out of the outbreak of COVID-19 and enforcement of lockdown.
Shops and markets, various commercial establishments, most offices, including educational institutions, were closed and vehicles remained off the road across Assam on Sunday, the sixth day of the nationwide lockdown. In some districts, people defied the lockdown and came out of their homes, prompting the police to use force, including baton charge.
However, at many places, the police distributed rice, vegetables, medicines and other essentials to the poor.
In Agartala, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb wrote to his counterparts in Delhi, West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telengana, and Tamil Nadu for providing food, accommodation, security and health services to the people of Tripura stranded in their states.
In Nagaland, some groups, including associations, clubs, SHGs and civil society, have been extending community services to those in need during the lockdown period and assisting the government in whatever ways they can.
Nagaland government employees donated over Rs 26 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to meet the expenses in dealing with COVID-19. The opposition Naga People's Front MLAs has announced donation of one-month salary to meet the exigencies.
In Mizoram, a 33-year-old woman was arrested in Aizawl for allegedly hiding her foreign travel details. According to health department officials, the wife and two children of the lone COVID-19 patient from Mizoram were discharged from a state-run hospital here after they tested negative for the disease.
In Manipur, apart from taking strict action against those violating curfew, the government has undertaken an extensive sanitisation programme. According to health officials, two isolation wards have been arranged at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences for possible COVID-19 patients.
In Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma reviewed the state's preparedness to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.
( With inputs from IANS )