COVID-19 quarantine in traditional style in Naga village in Manipur

Rice and vegetables grown on the hills, water from the nearby streams and the huts made of locally available bamboo and woods is still considered enough for survival by many living on the hills in the Northeast.

Residents of Oinam, a village inhabited by Naga people in Manipur's hills district Senapati have themselves arranged these basic amenities for COVID-19 quarantine for those planning to come back from rest of the country after the lockdown is lifted.

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The villagers have set up four bamboo and wood huts, each with the capacity to house 10 to 15 persons for quarantine of all those who are likely to come back to the village post-lockdown. "These huts are about 7 to 8kms away from the village. These have been set up near the streams so that they don't face shortage of water. The villagers will provide rice and vegetables and their family members will give the clothes. They can cook simple food themselves and live there for 14 days. After that, they will be shifted to a school building for further monitoring. The village-level ASHA (health worker) will monitor their health condition and anyone showing COVID-19 symptom will be immediately rushed to the district hospital," Johnny Varay, a doctor, who lives in Oinam told DH over the phone.

Oinam village, situated about 107-km north of state capital Imphal has about 4,500 residents but nearly 1,000 of them, mostly youths, works in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and elsewhere. Most of them are stranded there due to the lockdown clamped to check the spread of COVID-19. Most of them work in call centres, malls, shopping complexes and some are studying there.

"Many of them wants to come back as they are facing racial harassment or lost their jobs there. But we can't allow them to enter the village without quarantine. We can't allow them to spread the virus," Varay said.

The village councils represented by all clans governs most tribal villages in the Northeast and takes all decisions about wellbeing of their residents. A meeting of Oinam Village Authority on April 4 decided that family members of those willing to come back must inform them beforehand, failing which the entire family will be excommunicated. The villagers are keeping vigil against the entry of any outsiders. It also asked all outside workers to leave the village in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, said a statement issued by Chairman of the village authority, K Joshua Leo.

Manipur reported two COVID-19 positive cases but both were discharged after recovery.