Slack testing becoming cause of concern
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 25 2021: As the number of people newly infected by Covid-19 continues to rise amid the curfew imposed by the government, questions are being raised on the observance of Covid relevant SOPs by the public and enforcement of the same by authorities concerned.

Meanwhile, raising concern over the increasing cases and slow progress in testing, a health expert has warned of the situation spiralling out of control if aggressive testing measures were not taken up.

After reporting 314 new cases on April 30 this year, the state government convened a meeting and imposed curfew in Greater Imphal area with strong instructions for strictly following the SOPs laid down.

State security forces were deployed on the roads to enforce the restrictions and Covid relevant SOPs while health department carried out awareness activities on protective measures that can be taken up to prevent infection by Covid-19 virus.

Despite these stringent measures, new cases continue to rise prompting the government to extend the curfew duration till May 28 and expand the coverage to several districts.

But that did not help in curbing the situation as the latest government report on Tuesday reported 824 new cases and 15 deaths.

The increasing trend of new cases is showing the rampant violation of SOPs among the public.

Speaking in this regard on the condition of anonymity, a renowned health expert told The People's Chronicle that public not following the Covid relevant SOPs is evident from the increasing number of cases.

The virus is spreading like wildfire in the community and it also shows loopholes in the initiatives taken up by the government.

Expressing his opinion on the matter, the health expert suggested aggressive contact tracing and testing measures during the curfew period in order to prevent further transmission of the virus.

Local clubs and NGOs should be involved in the activities and encourage them to make their respective localities Covid free.

Unless the government takes up immediate and aggressive measures now, the situation could go beyond the manageable level with the limited resources, infrastructure and manpower of the government, he said.

Meanwhile, Sagolband MLA RK Imo in a social media post said that 28 out of 73 samples were found positive of Covid-19 during test conducted on Tuesday.

The people coming out for testing are from Salam Leikai, Meino Leirak, Ingudam Leirak and Kangabam Leikai.

Stating that positivity rate is more than 30 per cent, which is higher than those in Delhi some weeks ago, the MLA appealed to the people of his constituency to come forward and get tested.

He also expressed concern over the unwillingness of the public to get tested for Covid-19 .

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