Covid-19: Manipur extends lockdown till July 19, Guwahati gets back to lockdown

Manipur government on Sunday extended the lockdown till July 15 while Assam capital Guwahati too got back to the same for 14-days following surge in Covid-19 positive cases.

Announcing the decision, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh told reporters in Imphal that only inter-district bus service would be opened but no other public transport would be allowed during the lockdown period.

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The number of Covid-19 cases in Manipur increased to 1094, out of which 660 were still active. The state's recovery rate stood at 39.56%. Singh said the government was trying to augment testing capacity.

Assam's capital Guwahati was also brought under lockdown from Sunday midnight following community transmission of Covid-19. Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said everything would remain closed for a week barring medical and emergency services.

"After a week, we will review the situation and see what relaxation can be given. But the lockdown will be enforced very strictly for seven days. If we don't do so things will go out of control," he said.

The decision was taken after more than 800 Covid-19 positive cases were detected in the city since June 15 in persons having no travel history. Assam's tally of Covid-19 reached 7165, of which 2338 were still active.

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People went into panic buying on Saturday and Sunday after the minister's announcement on Friday. This resulted in rise in prices of essential items including vegetables. The potato was sold at Rs. 80 per kg while price of green chilly shot up to Rs. 200 per kg in parts of Guwahati.

The government also enforced night curfew (7pm to 7am daily) daily across the state while similar lockdown would be maintained on the weekends in small towns and municipality areas.