Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has called for a collective effort to contain the surge of COVID-19 spread in the state that was once listed as a green zone with zero-Covid-19 status, saying understanding of the disease and discipline are vital to curb the pandemic.
The chief minister was addressing a meeting of the State Consultative Committee for COVID-19 on Saturday in Imphal, as the number of coronavirus positive cases started to surge in the state.
“Collective effort, understanding and discipline are vital to contain the spread of virus,” the chief minister said at the meeting.
The meeting discussed procurement of new testing machines to speed up the COVID-19 testing process across the state and engaging additional staffs to combat the disease effectively and contain the spread.
It may be recalled that a 21-member State Consultative Committee for COVID-19 was constituted in Manipur following a Cabinet decision on April 20 with the chief minister as its chairperson. In its previous meeting, the committee comprising five ministers and five MLAs, including three from the opposition party, had discussed the issue of residents of the state who were stranded in various parts of India.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the state reported 96 new COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total tally to 777.
The disease is spreading in all parts of the state at an alarming rate. Tamenglong today has 93 total positive cases as 31 more returnees in a quarantine centre of the district tested positve for coronavirus. The quarantine centre currently houses 130 inmates of which 60 inmates were tested positive for COVID-19.
In view of the threat of community spread in the area, the additional district magistrate Tamenglong has declared the community quarantine centre at UBS as a containment zone and free movement, including vehicles, were prohibited with immediate effect.
In Ukhrul district too, 20 quarantine centres have been declared containment zones. As many as 89 returnees have tested positive for COVID-19 in the district. In view of it, the district administration issued an order on Saturday, stating, “It has become expedient to issue a containment measure to prevent the spread of the disease in the area.”
