UKHRUL: Two returnees from outside the state including a three-month-old infant tested positive for Covid19, prompting the district magistrate of Ukhrul in Manipur to announce containment measures in the entire precincts of Lungchong Maiphai Block-A with immediate effect on Tuesday.
Sources said that the two positive cases were detected in the last 48 hours. While the infant tested positive for the virus during Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on Tuesday, an inmate of the quarantine centre at Transit Quarter Block-3, Phungreitang was detected through DPR test on Monday.
It’s learnt that the parents of the baby had been staying at the quarantine centre at LM Block-A since their return from Delhi recently. “But surprisingly, the test reports of both parents of the baby came out negative,” sources said.
Following news of the report, the district surveillance team immediately evacuated the baby patient along with the mother to TK Woodland Covid Care Centre located at Paorei, Shirui village, 20km north of Ukhrul town.
Later in the evening, the district magistrate brought the entire LM Block-A under containment zone with immediate effect the same day.
It may be mentioned that the quarantine centre at the Transit Quarter Block-3 at Phungreitang was already under containment zone since 23 August after detection of a positive case.
“It has been reported that one returnee from Delhi of Ukhrul District has tested COVID-19 positive, and in view of the impending threat of the pandemic in the area, it has become expedient to issue containment measure to prevent spread of the disease in the area,” the district magistrate said in an order issued in compliance with the Manipur Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020, on Tuesday evening.
The containment measures included sealing of the geographical area and initiating active surveillance of COVID-19 cases, apart from restricting entry and exit of the population from the containment area. The measures also stipulated closure of school and public gatherings and banning of vehicular movement in the area.
“Any person/Institution/organization found violating any of these measures shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005,” it warned.