ITANAGAR, April 2 - Arunachal Pradesh today reported its first novel coronavirus case with a 31-year-old man from Lohit district testing positive for the dreaded COVID-19.
The patient, who had travelled to the national capital last month to participate in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, has currently been kept in isolation at the Zonal General Hospital, Tezu in Lohit district, said State Health Minister Alo Libang.
�A 31 year-old non-Arunachalee person who participated in #TablighiJamaat congregation at #NizamuddinMarkaz has been found positive for #Coronavirus and is first #Covid19 patient. At present he is asymptomatic & kept in isolation. His condition is stable,� tweeted Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
The swab sample of the man, a resident of Medo area under the Wakro circle in Lohit district, was collected on March 31 and sent for test to the Regional Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, ICMR-RMRC, at Dibrugarh in Assam and he tested positive on April 1, the Health Minister said.
The patient has been kept in a special isolation room at the Tezu hospital and all his family members have also been sent to a quarantine facility. The swab samples of his family members will also be collected and sent for tests, health officials said.
Six other persons from Arunachal Pradesh, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event, have also been sent to quarantine. Their samples have reportedly tested negative.
Curfew imposed at Medo: Considering the prevailing law and order situation due to circumstances relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lohit District Magistrate (DM) Prince Dhawan on Thursday promulgated curfew under Section 144 CrPC in the entire Medo area, prohibiting movement of people and vehicles, except for those carrying patients. The prohibitory order will remain in force till 2 pm on April 3, the DM said.
�There shall be a complete ban on movement of persons and any kind of vehicles during the period of curfew. However, movement of patients to and from Hospital/CHC/PHC/sub-centre is exempted from curfew,� the DM said, warning that the violators would be prosecuted under relevant penal provisions of the IPC, the Epidemic Diseases Act, etc.
Meanwhile, expressing concern over detection of the first coronavirus case in the State, the Arunachal Civil Society (ACS) has urged the State Government to completely seal all entry points to the State and strictly implement the lockdown. The ACS appealed to the State Government to trace out all the persons, who visited Nizamuddin Markaz. It urged the Muslim community of Arunachal Pradesh to help the Government to track these people. The ACS also opposed the purported move of the State Government to shift the COVID-19 patient to the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences at Naharlagun.