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Panic buying in Imphal a day before Manipur lockdown

IMPHAL: People thronged city markets to buy essential items even as the police had a hard time in controlling traffic till before the 14-day complete lockdown and curfew in the state began from 2pm on Thursday.

People also made beeline for fuel stations across the twin capitals of Imphal West and Imphal East.



“It is not certain whether foodstuff would be easily available at the same price during the 14-day lockdown period. To clear my doubts, I have bought maximum grocery and some vegetable items for my family,” said Tombi Sharma, an Imphal resident.

Because of the heavy flow of traffic, Nagamapal, Wahengbam Leikai, Keishampat, Thangal Bazar and BT roads in Imphal city witnessed snarls.

As a precautionary step against the growing Covid -19 cases among people in Manipur, mostly in Thoubal and Jiribam districts with no travel history to other states in the past few days, the state government clamped the 14-day lockdown and curfew in the entire state.

Health minister L Jayantakumar Singh appealed to people to strictly follow the standing guidelines and protocols to combat the virus spread. The government is making all out efforts to combat the situation, he said, adding that the situation is almost controlled in Jiribam and surveillance has been stepped up in containment areas in Thoubal.

In the meanwhile, the campus of the Centre-run Manipur University at Canchipur near Imphal has been declared as a containment zone after a peon of the varsity tested positive.

On Wednesday, a man from Bishnupur district , who works at a private diagnostic laboratory in Churachandpur district, tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, chief medical officer (Bishnupur) L Gojendra Singh said in a statement on Thursday. He has been transferred to a Covid Care centre and all his family members and contacts area being traced, added the statement.

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