Manipur official allays fears of COVID-19 community transmission

As reports of 27 policemen testing positive for COVID-19 triggered panic in parts of Manipur's Jiribam, a senior official allayed fears of community transmission and said all of them had come in contact with a colleague who was recently diagnosed with the disease.

Talking to reporters on Saturday, K Rajo, the director of Manipur health and family welfare services, said there had been "no instance of COVID-19 community transmission in the state" and necessary measures being taken to curb the spread of the disease.

"Most of the COVID-19 patients in the state are people who have returned from elsewhere... from pockets where they have living under quarantine following their return," he said.

On July 1, one police personnel involved in screening the returnees upon their arrival to Jiribam by train was found to have contracted the disease.

"Shortly after, 170 individuals who had come in contact with the officer were identified and placed under quarantine. Of them, 27 were diagnosed with the disease, all of them policemen. But that, however, is not an instance of community transmission," Rajo explained.

Community transmission occurs "when the disease spreads from a person who has not been outside the state, and whose contact history cannot be traced", he added.

Meanwhile, the sole railway station at Jiribam on Saturday wore a deserted look, after the news of the 27 cases in the district spread among people.

Manipur currently has 1,325 novel coronavirus cases, of which 658 are currently active patients, an official of COVID-19 Common Control Room here said.

Altogether 667 people have discharged so far, with the recovery rate standing at 50.33 pc, the official said.