Returnee by flight among 5 to test positive

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, May 27 : Of the five new positive cases recorded  today, one is a young man who incidentally returned from Delhi by flight (Air Asia, May 25) and was put in an institutional quarantine centre.
With the 5 new cases today, the State's COVID-19 tally has risen to 44. With four persons recovered recently, the number of active cases is 40.
According to a statement released by Additional Director Health Department and COVID-19 spokesperson, Dr Khoirom Sashikumar Mangang, the new cases were reported from Imphal East (2 cases-returnees from Delhi by private vehicles, one on May 12 and May 15), Imphal West (1-flight returnee from Delhi on May 25) and Thoubal district (2-returnees from Delhi and Gujarat, returnees by train).
Significantly the man in Imphal East who returned on May 12 from Delhi, spent May 13 and 14 with his family members at Dewlaland and he was taken to a quarantine centre at Areca School only on May 15, said a reliable source while speaking to The Sangai Express and added that family members will also be tested for the virus.
A total of 403 samples were tested at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) today and three were confirmed positive for COVID-19.
The remaining two cases were detected at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) lab where 560 samples were tested for the virus today, said the statement.
So far, the State has tested 6,834 samples. There are 3,746 persons in institutional quarantine centres and 10,293 persons in community quarantine centres across districts.
Meanwhile, three flights- Indigo, Air Asia and Air India reached Imphal airport today carrying a total of 289 passengers (Delhi and Guwahati).
Nagaland cases rise to 9 : The number of COVID-19 cases in Nagaland has risen to nine on Wednesday with five fresh cases reported this morning, reports NNN.
According to Nagaland Health Minister Pangnyu Phom, all the five cases of COVID-19 reported this morning are returnees from other States.
As per the Nagaland COVID-19 Dashboard, a total of 1445 samples have been sent for testing in Nagaland so far. Out of this, 1113 results have returned negative, while results of 323 are awaited.
Meanwhile, more trains and buses transporting stranded people of Nagaland are likely to return to the State before June 1.
According to Principal Secretary, Home Abhijit Sinha, the State Government is working hard to arrange transportation of stranded people of the State in different parts of the country.
It can be mentioned here that all the nine cases of  COVID-19 in Nagaland were reported in just one week. Under this grim scenario, panic has gripped the State even as the State Government has taken up measures to control the spread of the disease.
Earlier, the Government of Nagaland had said that “all existing guidelines with regard to the lockdown in all parts of the State will continue to remain operative till issuance of fresh guidelines”.
The order came even as more and more stranded people are returning to Nagaland.
Till date, shops, except hardware stores, are allowed to open from 9 am to 4 pm from Monday to Saturday in the State.
Police personnel are seen every day on the streets of Kohima, Dimapur and other towns in Nagaland enforcing the lockdown. Earlier, many district administrations in Nagaland had also notified strict ban of gutka, tobacco etc and prohibition of spitting in public. These administrations had cautioned that in the event of failure to comply with the order, legal action will be liable to be proceeded as per Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or attract legal action under Section 188 of the IPC and under the relevant sections of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005.