Spectators witness a performance during an earlier edition of the Hornbill Festival. After a gap of one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government is planning to host a full-fledged festival at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama from December 1-10. (Morung File Photo)
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Kohima, November 24 (MExN): With just a week to go, the Nagaland Health and Family Department has issued a set of public health and safety measures to be observed during the Hornbill Festival.
In the advisory, the health department strongly recommended a strict ‘No mask, no entry’ policy. Strict adherence to use of masks should be followed along with random checking by enforcing agencies or volunteers and fines should be imposed as and when necessary, it added.
Explaining the need to take precautionary measures, it underscored that though daily reported cases have gone down in the state, “we are still seeing an average of 27 new COVID-19 hospital admissions and 5 deaths weekly in the past month signifying continued COVID-19 transmission in the community.”
Food and beverages should be served only at the Morungs and cafes to enable compulsory masking at the main arena and other spaces, it added.
With regard to COVID-19 vaccination, it said that Nagaland, where 87 percent of COVID-19 deaths are being observed mostly among the unvaccinated, remains one of the least vaccinated states in the country. Stating that this could have a significant negative impact on the severity of subsequent waves of the pandemic, the health department informed that all eligible domestic visitors including artists and performers would be required to produce vaccination certificates in soft or hard copy or SMS from AX-NHPSMS unless medically contraindicated. Stating that this policy would apply to all events under the Hornbill Festival, it also informed that visitors would be given the option to vaccinate at the venue with a valid photo ID.
“A medical stall with COVID-19 vaccination facility shall cater to anyone willing to get vaccinated for the entire 10 days for both the first and second dose,” it added.
Along with this, a testing booth will also be made available in the First Aid Stall, it said, while adding that symptomatic visitors would not be allowed entry to the event.
It also advised festival goers to take all possible measures to avoid crowding.
Hand washing points with soap and water shall be made available at all strategic points and there shall be continued messaging on COVID-19 vaccination, use of masks and other safety measures through announcements and other IEC platforms, it added.
“An event such as the Hornbill festival has the potential to attract people from all corners of the globe and all measures need to be taken to avoid a post festival surge in the state,” it asserted.
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