84 stranded Manipuris return to Imphal

A total of 84 Manipuris, stranded in Assam's Guwahati, reached Imphal on Saturday in four buses sent by the Manipur government to bring them back, officials said. They were stranded at the Manipur Bhavan in Guwahati, they said.

The returnees were screened at Mao Gate at Manipur's border with Nagaland and will be quarantined at a facility in Imphal West district and their samples will be tested for COVID-19, the officials said. Health Minister L Jayantakumar Singh welcomed the stranded Manipuris in the state capital. "As per protocol, they will be quarantined for 14 days," he said.

Officials, however, said if all of them tested negative for the disease, the authorities concerned will decide if they can be home quarantined..