Port Blair, Dec. 22: The Chief Secretary, A & N Administration, Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS held a comprehensive meeting today to review the current status of COVID-19 in A&N Islands and future threat perception. The meeting was attended by Shri Neeraj Thakur, IPS, DGP, ANP, Shri Kamal Datta, IFS, PCCF, Shri Nikhil Kumar, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Health), Secretaries, Deputy Commissioners of all three Districts, Officers of A&N Administration and representatives from Andaman Nicobar Command.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary urged the people of the Islands to follow all the COVID Appropriate Behavior in order to prevent the outbreak of infection in these Islands. He advised the people to wear mask, maintain social distancing, especially in crowded places and not to panic.

The Chief Secretary further directed the concerned authorities to review the logistic supplies and place fresh orders for procurement, if needed. He also directed the Health Department to augment the process of manpower hiring and purchase of logistics, if needed, to tackle the situation. The Chief Secretary directed the District Magistrates to review the stocks of medical supplies, beds and oxygen in their respective jurisdiction and take necessary action accordingly. Further, he directed to follow the guidelines and advisories issued by MoHFW, New Delhi and act accordingly. He said, samples of all positive cases must be sent for genome sequencing to the designated INSACOG Laboratories. He also directed all concerned to activate the surveillance at the Port of Entry as well as in all the Health Institutions across the Islands. ILI/SARI cases across the Islands should be reported daily and a media team be constituted to brief the media on daily basis, the Chief Secretary said.

The Chief Secretary directed the Health Department to issue an advisory on Do’s & Don’ts pertaining to COVID-19 for the general public. He also mentioned that in case of any untoward situation, Andaman & Nicobar Administration is fully prepared to tackle the situation.    

Earlier, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Health) briefed about the present situation of COVID-19. This was followed by detailed presentation about the current status of COVID-19 globally, in the country as well as in the Islands. He also informed about the status of medical supplies including oxygen, status of vaccination in the Islands and also future threat and strategies to tackle any unforeseen situation.