Dimapur: Amid surging Covid-19 infections in the Christian majority Nagaland, Governor R N Ravi has requested Church leaders to influence people to follow coronavirus protocols.
The governor held a meeting on April 19 with leaders of various Christian denominations in Nagaland at Dr Imkongliba Hal inside Raj Bhavan, his residence, in Kohima, capital of the northeastern Indian state.
The governor discussed the Covid-19 situation in the country as well as in Nagaland. He told the Church leader to use their moral and spiritual authority to save people from the pandemic.
On April 19, Nagaland reported 13 positive cases, taking the state’s caseload to 12,568. On the same day, India reported nearly 260,000 cases.
The governor told the Church leaders they have moral and spiritual authority and influence over people and urged them to use that capital to save the citizens of the state from the pandemic by making people more aware of the challenges of the disease and the need for strictly adhering to Covid-19 protocols.
He also advised the Church leaders to make the people strictly adhere to the Covid-19 appropriate behaviors, informed a press release from the governor’s public relations officer.
The governor also expressed concern over inhibitions of people in Nagaland to receive vaccination and prevalence of adverse rumors in this regard. He advised the Church leaders to educate and encourage eligible persons to get vaccinated as the current ratio of vaccination in the State is one of the lowest in the country.
“In this extraordinary situation where the entire society is facing the stress due to Covid-19 pandemic,” the governor reminded the Church of their significant role.
He also thanked the Church leaders for their suggestions which he said would be forwarded to the government for follow-up.
Altogether 115,392 people were vaccinated in Nagaland until April 18, state Immunization Officer Doctor Ritu Thurr said.
They included 42,634 frontline workers, 13,353 healthcare professionals and 31,036 senior citizens.
Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom in a tweet on April 19 said, “13 positive cases of Covid-19 reported today. 12 in Dimapur, 1 in Kohima.’ Nagaland currently has 189 active cases while 12,110 people have recovered from the disease so far. The death toll remained unchanged at 94, a health department official said.
Besides, 175 other patients have migrated to other states.
The state did not report any recovery for the third consecutive day bringing down the recovery rate to 96.35 percent. It was 97.98 percent on March 19, said State Nodal Officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Doctor Nyanthung Kikon in the daily Covid-19 bulletin.
Altogether 140,601 samples were tested for coronavirus in the state till date, he said.
Christians form more than 90 percent of Nagaland’s 1.99 million people. However, 98 percent Naga people identify themselves as Christians. Among them, Baptists form 75 percent.
Catholics are found in significant numbers in parts of Wokha and Kohima districts as well as in the urban areas of Kohima and Dimapur. They come under the diocese of Kohima.
The state also has Revivalists and Pentecostals.
Sources: News agencies
The church has always stood by the government in time of crisis of humanity.
The government must intensify the test program and also quicken the vaccination program.
Very appropriate move on the part of the government of Nagaland to get the State Governor to convene a meeting of Church leaders to seek their support in tackling the marauding virus and to instruct them on various related matters like prevailing upon people to get themselves vaccinated. Good, Your Excellency, Governor Ravi! Kudos!! There ends the salubrious part. What about the government’s own attitude towards the fight to get rid of the virus?
Take a good look at the examples like major states like UP and Maharashtra. His Eminence, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and President of a major conference of Catholic bishops in India, has been crying hoarse, coaxing his priests and flock to observe C+ restrictions and protocols which have unwittingly included the closure of churches and the suspension live participation in the Church’s Liturgical Services. But what has the government done to ensure its own members follow the necessary rules? Innumerable are the black sheep in the government and in the state legislature who’ve held or attended major gatherings both religious and social in nature. It appoints Protocol Marshall by the thousands who are nowhere to be seen except at vantage points like junctions and garden corners to promptly penalize those found not wearing masks while the bulk of the hawkers and vendors crowding public throughfares go Scot free. Municipal officials sporting the municipal logos on their expensive looking masks are found travelling in public transport with their masks either below their chins or dangling from one ear. Policemen and porters at railway stations imagine they rule the world and so feel no need to mask their holy mugs. The list of such misdemeanours on the part of our socalled public servants can go on and on. But the point is, what is the government doing to genuinely reign in the virus apart from using our money to protect itself, kursi, table et al?
Methinks its time the Church in India as a whole not merely agreed in principle and practice to support the government in its public show of caring for the welfare of its citizens vis-a-vis the virus but also extracted certain benefits like allowing the numbers permitted to participate in church services to be proportionate to the size and seating capacity of each given church rather than a blanket ban on assemblies larger than the mandatory 50. Besides, the Church must also use the “moral and spiritual authority” Governor Ravi spoke about to pull up any government in the country found violating any covid related norm or regulation. If that will not bring in results, nothing will.