Manipur CM asks returnees not to conceal travel history

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has asked the people returning to the state from various parts of the country not to conceal any relevant information, including travel history, from health personnel.

As many as 1,140 stranded Manipuris on Wednesday returned to the state in a special train from Chennai and have been placed under institutional quarantine for 14 days.

"Concealing travel history can prove to be devastative and is a loss for all," Singh said in a video message.

He said the return of more than 1,100 stranded Manipuris has kick-started a new phase in the administration's effort to combat COVID-19 and his government is managing the evolving situation with limited resources of the economically-backward state.

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Nevertheless, in view of the hardships faced by the stranded people from the state, the administration will facilitate the return of more Manipur residents from Punjab, Bengaluru and Hyderabad among other places in the coming days, the chief minister said.

"There certainly will be disappointment among several returnees over amenities in the quarantine centres but the administration is doing its best to provide them with good facilities.

"But now is not the time to stay in luxurious hotel rooms and the focus must be on saving lives," he said.

Responding to a person's criticism on social media of conditions in the quarantine centres, the chief minister said that such criticisms at this crucial juncture can misguide people and appealed to everyone to bear with the government's effort for the next 10-20 days.

"The fight against COVID-19 is a matter of life and death," Biren said, adding that everyone including MLAs irrespective of political affiliations needs to unite.