The Manipur government on Friday ordered 10-day total curfew in the entire state with effect from July 18 till July 27 in view of the unabated surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state. The decision for total curfew except for a few relaxations came after two consecutive days of positive cases over 1000. The order stated that the number of COVID-19 positive cases continued to be very high relative to the population and is a cause of concern and warrants stringent measures to check the spread of the infection across the state. However, essential services or activities related to vaccination, COVID-19 testing, medical service (hospital, clinics/ pharmacies), water supply, power supply, police, telecom/internet services, air travel, agriculture/horticulture, garbage clearance, petrol pumps, LPG distributor and goods truck are excluded from the purview of curfew. This supersedes the order dated July 9, 2021, stated the order issued by the home department. Expressing concern over the Covid-19 situation in the state, Chief Minister N Biren Singh had in a video message said that the state government was taking up various strategies to fight COVID-19 but reluctance of the people to get tested and inoculated was causing a major hindrance in controlling the pandemic. The government will continue house-to-house vaccination along with mobile vaccination at the spots of testing centres, he said.
The figure of 1039 on Thursday is also the second highest surge on a single day, with 1104 on July 14 being the highest so far. With the addition of 1039 new cases, the cumulative figure of positive cases has now gone up to 81,560 including 3936 Central security personnel. The 1039 new cases were detected out of a total of 7056 samples being tested in the last 24 hours to record the daily positivity rate at 14.7 percent. Coupled with this, the detection of as many as 205 cases of Delta Variant of COVID-19 in the state must have jolted the state government and as usual, the state is at wit’s end except to impose total curfew. The Chief Minister even went to the extent of promising rice at the doorstep so that people remain indoors for the said ten days of total curfew. Everyone understands, the government step is an attempt to break the chain of transmission and somehow flatten the curve. The appeal seems sincere, while the reality is that rice allocation for the state under various schemes from the Centre is not enough to cater to the whole population as it had been cut down due to lack of adequate Aadhar seeding with the ration cards and some MLAs and rationing agents are taking advantage of that. On the other hand, free rice alone does not fill the stomach. Pulses, vegetables, potatoes, edible oil and most important for the Manipuris,Ngari or fermented fish are required to supplement rice in the daily intake of food. One wonders, who is going to foot the bill for the supplementary items? Nowadays, a few self-styled social workers or intending candidates have entered the scene. Question is, can the public rely on them.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had the other day confessed that the state is at a loss on how to change the mindset of the general public towards testing and vaccination, even as the state government is taking up various strategies to fight COVID-19. What seems to be missing is the part of wide-ranging consultation with various stakeholders as was the norm earlier. As we said earlier, we have not heard of any meeting of the State level Consultative Committee on Covid 19 in the last few months. Meanwhile, as they were not taken into confidence on the various strategies rolled out by the government the opposition is all out finding faults at every step of the way. On the other hand, the state continue to come down heavily on detractors and mischievous rumour mongers. We would like to reiterate once again that the matter cannot be resolved by arresting them or putting them in jail and for that matter putting undue pressure on media freedom. The confusion of the state is perhaps the cause of such unwarranted actions. We must say, we cannot afford to have a confused state at this juncture.
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