All the 87 people who had been brought from Guwahati in four luxury buses by the Manipur government were found to be COVID-19 negative on Sunday. The people, mostly students, had been taking shelter in the Manipur House in Guwahati from the beginning of the nation-wide lockdown.
T. Bhimo, director of J.N. Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Imphal, said that 44 were tested in the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences while the rest were tested in the JNIMS. Samples were collected soon after the arrival of the buses in Imphal on Saturday evening. All of them were lodged in the Imphal Valley Academy.
Health department officials said that after testing negative, most of them left the official quarantine. Parents and guardians came from early morning to take charge of the students.
Government sources said that there were appeals from stranded Manipuris to help them reach their homes. The official estimate is that there are about 50,000 Manipuri students, traders, businessmen, government and private company employees throughout the country.
Most of the students and others stranded at several places were given ₹2,000 each through their bank accounts.