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Manipur extends lockdown till June 30 as tally climbs to 83

IMPHAL: The Manipur government extended the lockdown till June 30 as twelve people tested positive for the novel coronavirus since late on Sunday. Chief minister N Biren Singh said the lockdown and partial curfew in the state will continue till June 30 as a preventive measure to stop the further spread of the virus. “The imposition of the lockdown and curfew is to save lives of the people,” Biren added.



With the new cases , the state’s tally stands at 83. While five people tested positive on Monday, seven did so on Sunday night. There are currently 72 active cases as 11 people were discharged earlier after getting cured. All of Monday’s cases are returnees from Delhi and Chennai and include two females.

Of the seven who tested positive on Sunday, two persons, who are from Senapati district , have recently returned from Chennai and another two, who are Uttar Pradesh returnees, are residents of Bishnupur district. All of them tested positive for the virus at JNIMS, Manipur health department ’s additional director and spokesperson Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang said in a statement on Monday. The remaining three are from Thoubal district and had recently come back from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad respectively, the statement added.

Mangang informed that their conditions were stable and they have been shifted to the Covid care facilities at RIMS and JNIMS.

Elaborating on the relaxations that the state government has planned during this phase of lockdown, the chief minister said micro, small and medium enterprises, agriculture and horticulture related activities and MNREGA work will be allowed. However, he cautioned that social distancing and advisories and protocols laid down by WHO and health ministry must be followed by all.

The chief minister also informed that around 28,000 natives, who had been stranded in various parts of the country, have been brought back during the lockdown. He added that his government is also setting up a 100-bed dedicated Covid-19 hospital, construction of which will be completed in 10 days.

“The number of tests at the laboratories of RIMS and JNIMS have been increased to above 1,000 per day. Thermal scanners have been installed at Imphal international airport. The number of institutional and community quarantine centres have been increased to accommodate the citizens returning from outside,” Biren said. Urging the people not to panic, Biren added that there is no community transmission of the virus in the state to date.

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