Dharchula, Jauljibi in U'khand under self-imposed lockdown

"Vehicles are not plying on the roads and people in villages of the area are not coming out of their houses, "said Bhupendra Singh Thapa, president of the Vyapar Mandal Dharchula. However, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dharchula, AK Shukla said the panic was unnecessary.

Dharchula and Jauljibi towns and 50 neighbouring gram panchayats in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh have gone for a self-imposed lockdown as a precautionary measure after 62 army and paramilitary personnel deployed on the Indo-China and Indo-Nepal borders tested COVID-19 positive last week. Markets in these towns and 50 gram panchayats closed down after trade bodies called for a lockdown from Wednesday till Sunday, Jauljibi traders’ union president Dhirendra Dharmashaktu said.

During the lockdown only shops selling vegetables, milk and medicines will be open till 6 am to 10 am, he said. "Vehicles are not plying on the roads and people in villages of the area are not coming out of their houses, "said Bhupendra Singh Thapa, president of the Vyapar Mandal Dharchula.

However, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dharchula, AK Shukla said the panic was unnecessary. "All 62 positive cases reported from the area last week have been sent to isolation wards of hospitals in the district while people who came in contact with them have been quarantined. There is no need to panic," he said..