Manipur: Sanitization drive undertaken in Imphal amid COVID-19 scare

Amid the deadly novel Coronavirus outbreak, a Sanitization drive was undertaken on Monday by the administration in Manipur's Imphal to contain the spread of the virus. Earlier, Manipur was placed under lockdown with immediate effect till March 31 in the wake of the novel Coronavirus pandemic, state minister Thongam Biswajit Singh announced.

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Manipur under lockdown

Essential services, however, have been exempted from the purview of the lockdown. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, the industries minister said. The cabinet also decided to set up isolation wards at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Singh said.

The government has decided to distribute rice, meant for April under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), free of cost to support the needy during the lockdown. Beneficiaries of the Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang health insurance scheme who do not possess the NFSA card will also be given free rice, he said.

Singh, the official spokesperson of the government, said the spread of the deadly COVID-19 could be prevented only if guidelines issued by the experts were followed. He urged the people not to hide any signs and symptoms of the Coronavirus if they had it. "Let us together fight COVID-19 and not allow our negligence to hinder our fight against it," the Minister said. "Let us maintain proper hygiene, wash our hands regularly and maintain social distance to defeat COVID-19."

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COVID-19 cases rise in India

In India, over 470 confirmed cases of Coronavirus have been reported. Along with it, nine deaths have been reported until now at the time of writing this article. Numerous states have announced lockdowns and curfew has been imposed in few districts till at least March 31, suspending all public transport services and non-essential services. The state governments were advised to issue appropriate orders to allow only essential services to operate in the 75 districts which have reported confirmed cases or casualties relating to COVID-19.

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(with PTI inputs)