From Sunday onwards nobody without a COVID-19 negative medical certificate would be allowed to enter Manipur, according to a government order made available on Friday.
The certificates obtained from the competent authority should be produced within 72 hours of the arrival to the border area gates and the Imphal international airport which is the only air route.
People enter Manipur from other States via Senapati bordering Nagaland and Jiribam adjacent to Silchar district of Assam. Some also enter Manipur using country canoes in the Jiri river. However, as the 356- km-long Manipur-Myanmar border is not guarded properly except near the international gates some people from Myanmar are reported to have entered Mizoram and Manipur.
The high officials of Army and other Central forces should instruct their subordinates to obtain such certificates before leaving for Manipur.
Meanwhile, official sources said that out of 849 persons tested in Manipur on Thursday 18 were found to be COVID-19 positive. Another report says that two persons in Thoubal district were found to be positive and they were advised to stay at their houses which were declared containment zones.