Food Served to Drug Users at Red Light Areas in The Capital City

By Sanjoo Thangjam, Special Correspondent, IOP

Imphal, April 16, 2020: Two days ago, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using traditional Manipuri Meitei Lengyan in these words, “My sincere appreciation and salute to the Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji for using Manipuri Meitei Lengyan which is a traditionally and culturally symbolic one, while addressing the nation today. It shows how much our PM loves and care for the NE particularly Manipur.

However, the COVID19 situation is under complete control in the state.

The first novel coronavirus case was detected in Manipur, which was also the first case in Northeast India, was of a 23-year-old woman, who had returned home from UK, who was undergoing treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospital in Imphal, has returned to her home. The patient hails from Thangmeiband, Imphal West.

Taking immediate action, the Manipur government ordered complete lockdown of the state till March 31 first as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of coronavirus, The lockdown was further extended as per PM Modi’s orders till 3rd may, 2020.

Essential services have been exempted from the purview of the lockdown. The government has set up isolation wards at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and JNIMS.

And state has till date managed to remain almost free from the virus.

According to health minister L Jayantakumar Singh, 55 foreigners are among the people in the state being kept under quarantine as preventive measures to contain spread of coronavirus in the region.

There are also 205 people who have been put under quarantine in government facilities, of which five persons have completed the 14-day mandatory period, he added.

During his televised interview, the health minister also informed that the state government has formulated a Quick Response Team (QRT) in each district as part of the state’s preparedness to tackle the COVID-19 situation, if it ever arises.

In order to tackle any emergency related to COVID-19, the state government has also decided to set up a 50-bedded COVID-19 treatment block with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities at RIMS Hospital, the minister added.

Moreover, in addition to the already existing 14 quarantine centres across the state having a capacity of 629 beds, chief minister N Biren Singh on Monday had also announced to set up a 200-bedded emergency centre for quarantine in Imphal West district.

On April 3rd, the Manipur government asked 31 people who had travelled in a flight from Delhi to Imphal on March 11 along with the state's second COVID-19 patient to report to the Control Room set up to deal with coronavirus cases.

The 31, including 14 women, are considered as "high risk" as they were in close proximity to the 65-year-old man, an official release said here.

He attended a congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month, which has been blamed for the recent spurt in COVID-19 cases across the country, and reached Imphal on March 11 in a flight.

It also came to the fore that the elderly man had undergone treatment in a private hospital in Imphal East district before his condition was known to the authorities.

Fifteen employees of the healthcare unit have been tested as well, officials said.

The man, a resident of Lilong area of Thoubal district, is now undergoing treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here.

With regards to the lockdown of pandemic of Convid-19, a team of Coronavirus warriors led by Ole Wangkheimayum, the Project Director of Realize Rehabilitation Center along with Prem Worship Servicing Center and Salvation Center had today served mid-day's meal to about 35 drug users at North AOC in the heart of Imphal City, Manipur especially to those who are unable to go for treatment as many of them are disowned my family members.

Ole further said that from tomorrow instead of the mid-day meal, the three bodies have planned to switch to breakfast as many drugs users often loiter around the joints especially from the wee hours of midnight till early morning and thereafter till late night over passing rules of lockdown & even without the fear of witnessing the law enforcement agencies. And this is a serious problem said Ole.

The Project Director said that addiction is a disease that needs proper treatment and therefore appealed to the govt. to provide treatment or at least provide detoxification under a protected environment free of cost to these drugs users during this critical juncture.

Onkareshwar Pandey is Founder, Editor in Chief & CEO, Indian Observer Post, and former Senior Group Editor- Rashtriya Sahara (Hindi & Urdu), and also former Editor, News-ANI, Profile - http://bit.ly/2mh7hih)

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