Manipur News

Manipur issues SOPs for passengers returning on flights; details here

Manipur's government has issued an SoP for those who are returning by air and those who come to drop or pick up passengers at the airport

Sentinel Digital Desk

Imphal: Putting in place more precautions against the novel coronavirus, Manipur's government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for those who are returning by air and those who come to drop or pick up passengers at the airport.

All the passengers arriving at Imphal should apply to the Deputy Commissioners of their home districts for an e-pass by indicating their personal and flight details at least two days in advance, Manipur's Chief Secretary Dr. Rajesh Kumar, issuing a notification on Saturday last, said.

In his office memorandum, the Chief Secretary further directed the deputy commissioners of the districts to notify and publicize the web portal, e-mail address, among other details, where the applicants can submit their information.

The Chief Secretary Kumar in his notification further added that they should also prescribe a format to include the details required and issue the e-pass well before their arrival and maintain a proper record to monitor the arrivals, quarantine, and testing.

As per the Chief Secretary's notification, the passengers arriving without the e-pass shall continue to be ferried by the Manipur State Transport buses for reporting to the HRD Academy or any other center designated by the deputy commissioner (Imphal West) for further dispersal to the districts.

The notification further informed those coming by vehicles to drop or pick up passengers that private vehicles including taxies are allowed to enter the airport and park at designated parking areas. Air Passengers with pre-issued e-pass shall be allowed to leave in vehicles, Other vehicles bringing in security forces personnel or construction materials, however, are also allowed to enter, but shall not park in the parking areas. Trucks shall not be parked inside the airport.

The number of COVID-19 deaths reported in Manipur rose to 57 on Sunday with two more casualtie, officials said. The Northeast Indian State reported its first death due to Covid-19 on July 29, while the first positive case surfaced on March 24. Notably, Manipur is the first state in the entire Northeast Indian region to report a COVID-19 infection.