Nagaland – MON FOLLOWING GRADED RESPONSE APPROACH TO PREVENTION OF COVID-19:
Approach for prevention of COVID-19.
The District Administration, Mon stated that since the COVID 19 situation is rapidly evolving, constant vigilance is need of the hour. Assam, our immediate neighbor, has reported 29th confirmed COVID-19 cases (as on 12th April 2020) and we cannot ignore the danger that is looming right at our doorstep, he stated.
The adoption of the strategy of Active Case Search and contact tracing can significantly supplement the other preventive and control measures aimed at reducing the spread of the disease. Many districts are reporting nil or relatively small number of confirmed cases across the country. We have zero confirmed cases in our district, he stated however, this should not make us complacent. The best way to find undiagnosed cases is when a large fraction of the population is diagnosed and tested to prevent them from infecting anyone else. This will help break the chain of transmission.
The Mon District Administration is following a graded response approach to prevent and contain COVID-19 in the district. We will be contacting the Active Case Search exercise throughout Mon district from 13th April to 17th April 2020, the notification stated.
Mon District Administration mentioned that, the Village or Ward will be divided into units of fifty households which will be surveyed by 1 (one) team comprising of two members known as the Active Case Search Group. Anganwadi Workers/ASHAs/ANMs/Teachers/ NGOs/Volunteers etc. are envisaged to be part a part of the team. The Active Case Search Group shall conduct house to house inquiry and fill up the relevant format for the following persons: (i) Who have travel history outside the state during the past 90 days (ii) Who have had contact with COVID-19 infected persons. (iii) Any members in the family having symptoms such as fever, cough, difficulty in breathing or having hypertension/ diabetes/ asthma or any other chronic illness. (iv) Who are above 60 years old, and (v) Pregnant women.
If one is tested positive for COVID-19, the next step would be Contact Tracing. It is the process of identifying, assessing and managing people who have been exposed to the person confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is critical to prevent transmission. The contacts with whom he/she interacted would be traced and will be kept under observation for a period of 28 (twenty-eight) days (Home/Institutional Quarantine). The aim is to map the contacts to determine the potential spread of the disease.
The notification appealed to the citizens of Mon District to co-operate and provide necessary information to the survey teams.
