Manipur Speaker runs quarantine centre without government funding

With many returning to Manipur from rest of the country testing COVID-19 positive, Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, Yumnam Khemchand Singh has chipped in to run a quarantine centre without financial support from the government.

"Many people came forward with donations--be it cash or food items as soon as I made an appeal to them to help the government in this hour of crisis. So we decided to run the quarantine centre at Manipur College at Singjamei in Imphal West district. We have been providing food, facilities to stay, sanitisers, masks and other necessary facilities as per the quarantine protocols," Singh told DH on Thursday.

He said already 105 people, who had come from outside, have returned home after completing their 14-day quarantine while 82 are still lodged in the centre.

Singh is a BJP MLA from Singjamei constituency in Imphal West district.

"As a public repesentative, it is my duty but it is really heartening to see how large number of people came forward and joined hands in this hour of crisis," he said.

Manipur had earlier declared itself as "COVID-19 free state" after two persons who tested positive in April had recovered but the state reported a surge in positive cases after people from the state started returning from the rest of the country after the lockdown was relaxed.

The state's COVID-19 positive cases have touched 121, out of which 83 are active cases.

Manipur health department said the state government is running seven quarantine centres while there are 770 community quarantine centres spread across the state.