Nagaland: New SOP for inbound travelers likely in 2-3 days

Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 13

It is likely that the state government would do away with institutional quarantine for returnees in the anticipated new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for inbound travelers and returnees. Pending the official announcement of a new SOP, the one issued on September 9, 2020 continues to remain in effect. 

However, if reports are to be believed, inbound travelers, especially returnees to the state, are being sent straight to home quarantine without being given the option to choose one of three alternatives— home, facility (government) or paid quarantine.

According to one returnee, he was advised home quarantine on arrival at the airport. Despite, he checked into a paid quarantine to wait out the 4 days before opting for test and go home. He added that on arrival, he was not directed to go to the designated reporting point at Agri Expo, 4th Mile.   

Queried on this, a Health & Family Welfare department official maintained that majority of returnees/travelers are opting for home quarantine. The official added that the reporting point at Agri Expo was still functional. 

As per the existing SOP, one can opt for home quarantine on the condition that the person has a separate room and bathroom at home to self-isolate for the specified 14 days. 

Those who opt for paid or facility quarantine can go for test (TrueNat) on the 4th day, provided they display no COVID-19 symptoms. The SOP states, “Persons in quarantine who are asymptomatic and require or need to be released from quarantine prematurely due to urgent or emergency work” can go for TrueNat test and released if the result returns negative. 

The official said that the government is working on a new SOP, which would likely be announced in 2-3 days. Meanwhile, the existing SOP is operational until the new SOP is announced by the government.

The official further informed that the demise of three government employees in the state Secretariat, Kohima, in the past week, has been confirmed.  While stating that it was confirmed they succumbed to COVID-19, the official said that one of them was attached to a Minister whose name was not disclosed.