Dimapur deputy commissioner Anoop Khinchi (third from right) visitng the home quarintine huts at Diphupar in Dimapur on June 11, 2020. Image: Northeast Now

The Diphupar Village Council in Nagaland’s Dimapur found that the 14-day home quarantine in some cases after equal number of quarantine days in government facility is not feasible.

It is because of the presence of elderly men and women, pregnant women, children and absence of separate rooms, toilets and bathrooms in the homes.

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As a solution, the council directed the communities in its jurisdiction to set up quarantine centres for such cases as a preventive measure to stop community transmission of COVID-19.

Following the directive, the Diphupar Lotha community, along Lotha Baptist Church Diphupar, collected donations from the church and community members to start the centres.

The Diphupar Lotha youth are on the job to build the quarantine centres in the form of Naga traditional huts in the Lotha church land.

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Chairman of Diphupar Lotha community Zuchumo Mozhui shared this with Dimapur deputy commissioner Anoop Khinchi during his visit to the huts on Thursday.

Diphupar Lotha community Covid-19 convenor Zuben Patton said around 15 returnees from Diphupar Lotha community are expected to be home quarantined.

He said electricity connection has been given to the huts while floor carpeting, stand fans, folding beds, buckets, mugs and other essentials will be provided.

So far, five huts with separate toilet and bathroom facility are almost complete, and within next days they will be fully ready, Patton said.

With the generous contribution by the community members more huts will be constructed in the church land as per need, he added.

Diphupar Lotha colony gaon burha Thechamo Ngully appealed to all to cooperate with the district administration and all frontline workers in the fight against the pandemic.

Khinchi lauded the collective effort of Lotha Baptist Church and the Lotha community of Diphupar for their initiative against COVID-19 pandemic, especially for preventing community transmission.

He said he was impressed with the quarantine huts, measuring 10 by 8 inches, which have Naga traditional touch, proper electrification, stand fans in each hut, and full floor carpeting.

He said a bench made of bamboo and placed outside each hut and the airy and spacious ambience with separate toilet and bathroom which have been set in place for each quarantined individual would be the perfect and comfortable home for the inmates.

He even suggested that later on, the huts could be utilized for the visiting tourists for income generation as well as promoting rural tourism.