A 23-year-old Manipuri woman, who returned from the United Kingdom, has reportedly tested positive for Coronavirus, making this the first COVID-19 case in North-East India.
The UK-based student had flown to Delhi on March 19, and then to Kolkata and Agartala before reaching Manipur. She has been put under complete isolation at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Manipur’s capital, Imphal. Her family members have been quarantined as well. The authorities are also tracing others who may have come in contact with the woman. The Manipur government has alerted the centre as well as the Delhi, West Bengal, and Tripura governments, state government sources said.
As of now, 32 states and union territories, covering 560 districts, are under a complete lockdown to contain the rapid spread of the novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is set to address the nation today, March 24, at 8 pm, his second address since last Thursday in which he called for a ‘Janata Curfew’, or self-quarantine, on Sunday.
Owing to the Coronavirus predicament, the Rajya Sabha election, earlier scheduled for March 26, Thursday, has been deferred. The Election Commission will reportedly look into this after March 31.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted: “Some people still don’t take the lock-down seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the guidelines seriously. I’m asking governments to ensure that rules and laws are followed.”
The Indian government shut down international flights, traveller trains, and expressway buses earlier, and suspended domestic flights on Monday. Only freighter flights have been allowed.
A total of 519 COVID-19 cases have been registered in India, as of March 24, according to data by the Health Ministry, including 9 deaths and 40 recoveries.
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