State Planning & Coordination minister Neiba Kronu has admitted that it was not possible to quarantine large number of Nagas, if they returned to Nagaland.
Talking with media persons at State COVID control room here on Wednesday evening, the minister said that about 25,000 Nagas were currently stranded outside after the nationwide lockdown was announced. He added, of these, about 16,000 were professionals and workers, 6,000 students and 300 patients.
The state government, already struggling to keep the state’s economy afloat, is grappling with the huge challenge of having to arrange for their return journey, provide accommodation and quarantine them if they so choose to return.
Mentioning that Nagas stranded in various cities were not encouraged to return, Kronu however clarified that if the situation demanded that they need to return, then they would have to strictly follow the guidelines and would be quarantined before being allowed to go to their respective places.
For those Nagas stranded in other North Eastern States, he said the Nagaland government would reach out to them through other means of transportation, adding that the government was making arrangements in this regard.
We are not a covid19 patient the main problem is that we don’t have money to pay our rent since we are not working anymore …still pending two months rent I don’t know from where I will pay and we are going to die of hunger