Adapt to 'new normal' and defeat COVID-19, Khandu urges people of Arunachal

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday exhorted the people to adapt to the 'new normal' to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the State.

While unfurling the Tri-colour at the Indira Gandhi Park here on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, Khandu said that the masses must adhere to various safety measures like hand sanitisation, wearing of face masks and maintaining social distancing to defeat coronavirus.

The programme was held with only a few government officials, journalists and security personnel. No march past or cultural programme was organised. The public was not allowed in the venue.

Khandu further said the State government has been able to control the spread of the infection with the support of various stakeholders including the frontline workers.

He added that imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 24 gave the State government time to prepare for combating the disease.

The Arunachal Pradesh government utilised the lockdown time to strengthen the Health infrastructure across the State, Khandu said.

"We notified 32 district COVID-19 health centers with 326 beds, 66 COVID-19 care centers with 2,497 beds, 383 quarantine facilities with 13,411 beds and dedicated COVID-19 hospitals like the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) at Naharlagun and the North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (NEIFM) at Pasighat in East Siang district," he pointed out.

Khandu also said that the State government created ICUs (Intensive Care Units) in the district hospitals, besides deploying specialised doctors and ventilators in those establishments. It also took a major decision of converting the MLA apartments here into a COVID-19 hospital.

Aggressive testing of samples, tracing of contacts and treating of COVID-19 patients formed vital components of an effective strategy to contain the spread of the disease across the State, the Chief Minister said.

One RT-PCR laboratory has been established in Naharlagun and another is being set up in Pasighat. Also, TrueNat and Rapid Antigen Test kits have been dispatched to all the districts, he said. "As a result of this, Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest COVID-19 positivity rate in the Northeast. It ranks among the top six States in the country in terms of tests per million population," Khandu said.

He further stated that the State government will upgrade 17 district hospitals at an approximate cost of Rs 350 crore; and tenders will be floated soon in this regard.

"We have also started the process of equipping our 24 district hospitals with the best-possible equipment and equipped each with three state-of-the-art ambulances. Several ambulances have already been pressed into service in some districts.

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