IMPHAL, May 19 - With two more persons testing positive for COVID-19, Manipur has recorded a total of nine positive cases so far even as local residents who had been stranded in other States due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, continue to return home.
Confirming this, Additional Director of the Health Department Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang, in a press release today, said a total of nine cases have been reported in the State so far. Two patients have already recovered, while the seven others are undergoing treatment in hospitals.
The press release said a woman (64) and her daughter (23) were tested at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, and found positive for COVID-19.
�They left Delhi on May 14 and reached Imphal on May 16,� the Health Department release said. �All necessary precautionary measures are taken up,� it added.
Meanwhile, a day after a special train carrying 593 stranded people came from Vadodara in Gujarat, the fifth such train carrying 536 people from Hyderabad arrived at the Jiribam Railway Station today, official sources said.
Soon after their arrival, the returnees boarded buses for their onward journey to districts following necessary medical procedures, the sources added.
In another development, the State Health Department today decided to expand COVID-19 testing to cover all returnees to the State. �Sample collection teams have been established in various districts for this purpose,� an official release stated.
On Sunday afternoon, the third special train from Bengaluru had arrived with 1,450 people, who later left in 43 buses for their respective districts. It may be mentioned here that the first special train from Chennai carrying 1,140 people of the State had arrived on May 13.
As on May 18, the total number of stranded persons returning to the State by bus stands at 5,785 and by train, at 4237, a press release issued by the COVID-19 common control room stated.
Meanwhile, with the Central Government extending the lockdown till the end of this month, the Manipur Government also issued new guidelines to be followed for the next two weeks.
As per the new guidelines, curfew will be enforced in the Imphal city and all other district headquarters from 6 pm to 6 am till May 31. The State Home Department issued an order in this regard late last night.
