Residence in Hailakandi marked as containment zone; "District prepared to tackle spike," Dahal

After Nabin Sunapur, Algapur resident Mazibur Rahman Laskar (40), son of Ayub Ali Laskar, tested positive yesterday, the Hailakandi District Administration has demarcated the area as a containment zone.

An order issued by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of the Hailakandi District states, “It is felt necessary to immediately seal geographical area of the village Nabin Sunapur PS Algapur, Revenue circle, Algapur, District Hailakandi (Assam) as Containment Zone and Buffer Zone respectively, as indicated below to arrest the spread of covid-19 in the interest of the public health. ”

The area within the following geographical boundaries is immediately sealed.

Containment Zone:
• North: House of Abdul Karim
• South: House of Faizur Rahaman
• East: House of Moinul Haque
• West: House of Jiabul Ali

Buffer Zone:
• North: Govt. LP School
• South: Masjid
• East: Paddy field
• West: PWD Road

The Deputy Commissioner of the Hailakandi district, Megh Nidhi Dahal, also said, “This time we’re quarantining the specific houses or areas of the infected patients, rather than sealing off a bigger elaborate area. In this Covid scenario, even though the vaccination process has already started, we have seen in the past how big cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai got many positive cases, which later came down to our region too. So, in future, we might see rising Covid cases in our region, and there’s no reason to think that the Covid scenario is over. Hence, we have to stay alert and follow Covid appropriate protocols.”

When asked about the preparedness and infrastructure of the hospital if cases end up rising like last year, the Hailakandi DC assured that they are well prepared to face that possibility. “See, it is not in our control to decide who should be admitted to the hospital. If a patient is asymptomatic, then he/she would be given home quarantine and their residence will be sealed off for quarantine as well. Only the Covid patients exhibiting symptoms and complications would be admitted in the hospitals for treatment”, said Hailakandi DC Megh Nidhi Dahal.

The order states that to implement the above instructions, the following restrictions are hereby imposed in the geographical area mentioned above:

1. Clear entry and exit points are to be established
2. No unauthorised entry and exit of the residents in the contained area will be allowed.
3. Vehicular movement is to be strictly prohibited.
4. No movement is to be allowed except for medical emergencies, essential goods and services.
5. No unchecked influx of population is to be allowed.
6. People transiting are to be recorded and followed through IDSP.
7. Stricter enforcement of all statutory directions regarding social distancing.