Tripura begins 7-day lockdown along its border with Bangladesh

Guwahati: Amid apprehensions of an outbreak along the international boundary with the neighbouring country of Bangladesh, the Tripura Government has imposed a 7-day lockdown along the border to arrest the spread of the virus. The seven-day lockdown has started in the bordering areas of Tripura from today morning.

The lockdown in Tripura has been enforced within one kilometre of the border in rural areas and five hundred meters in municipal areas from international borders with the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. Tripura shares an 856-kilometre border with Bangladesh.

According to reports, the Tripura state Government has imposed the lockdown amid fears that the infection could seep into the state across the border from Bangladesh that has been witnessing a steady and alarming rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.

In Tripura, the virus has continued its rampant spread at a rapid pace. In the past week alone, 590 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state and a total of 996 cases have been reported in the state until Thursday. The state so far has recorded a total of 2,380 COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, Tripura chief secretary Manoj Kumar issued fresh guidelines and revised restrictions for the lockdown period. According to the Chief Secretary, the movement of individuals shall remain prohibited except for emergency needs. All offices, schools, government, and private institutions, markets, shops will remain closed.

The Chief Secretary's order stated that it had come to the notice of the state government that there were some cases of COVID-19 in the border areas of the state, which posed a major threat to "public health, hygiene, and safety of the citizens."

The Tripura government has further ordered to enforce measures in government offices, including those of government bodies, public sector undertakings, subordinate and attached offices and so on. No official meeting, with more than 20 participants, will be held. No programme will be allowed in Pragna Bhawan / Town Hall / Rabindra Satbarshiki Bhawan or any other public halls, in order to regulate the number of visitors to government offices and visitors need to take prior appointments to visit government offices.

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