A recent surge in the number of Covid-19 cases has forced the West Kameng district administration in Arunachal Pradesh to impose a 5-day lockdown in Bomdila and its adjoining villages of Sera and Pedung.
Bomdila, the headquarters of West Kameng district is around 270 km from Itanagar.
As per the order from the district’s additional deputy commissioner, Sang Khandu, “the lockdown which came into effect from 2 pm on Thursday shall stay so until the midnight of August 31.”
Khandu said “the lockdown was necessitated following the sudden rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Bomdila Township and the positive cases have been increasing at an average of 3-4 cases per day.”
The West Kameng district, at present, has 151 active cases, the highest in the state.
“The tracking of primary contact is becoming difficult with the everyday movement of people and more people coming in primary contacts and thereby exponentially increasing the number of primary and secondary contacts,” the order read.
“The movement of persons and vehicles will be restricted during the lockdown except for the purchase of essential commodities and medical emergencies. Also only the vehicles which have special passes issued by the district administration for essential activities shall be allowed to ply on the roads during the lockdown period,” the order said.
The Bhalukpong-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road passing through Bomdila Township, would, however, remain open for all the inter-district movement including the army, paramilitary, and BRTF without any stoppage within the Bomdila Township.
In regards to the opening of shops, only those selling essential commodities would be allowed to open from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.
“The shopkeepers should ensure that all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed by the customers during the visit to shops for purchase of essential items,” the order said.
All government offices, except the essential ones, shall be run with a capacity of 30 percent strength, it added.