Breaking: 2 Bangladesh Women with Travel History to Tripura Test 'Positive' for COVID-19

Agartala, April 24, 2020:

Two women who have tested positive for the new coronavirus (or Covid-19) in Bangladesh, reportedly have a history of travel to neighbouring Tripura, reports said. This revelation has reportedly sent the entire state Government into a tizzy.

Reportedly, one woman from Dhaka and one from Brahmanbaria who have tested positive in Bangladesh had both been to Tripura in recent times.

Speaking to Inside Northeast, state disease surveillance officer Deep Kumar Debbarma informed that the Tripura Government has identified 11 close contacts of the Bangladeshi cases in Aralia and Melagarh areas of Tripura. "The reports are yet to reach us", he added.

Reportedly, both the women stayed for some time in Tripura before returning to their country of origin.

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Immigration sources said that in March of 2020, at least 3,000 people entered Bangladesh through Tripura and after reopening of the Akhaura Check Post. 84 people left for Bangladesh between April 7 and April 22.

Meanwhile, border vigil had been also intensified in view of the skyrocketing number of cases in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, in a bid to curb illegal immigration, the presence of TSR personnel has been heavily enhanced in the bordering stretches of Tripura, specifically in the areas where the barbed fencing was yet not completed, IG TSR GS Rao said.

“Already”, he said, “altogether 4,000 TSR men have been posted across the state to maintain the law and order situation and as far as the borders are concerned, we have just enhanced our presence. We are just assisting the BSF people in the borders”.

He also added that the development came in the wake of skyrocketing COVID related cases in the neighboring Bangladesh. “Since the numbers are constantly increasing in Bangladesh, we have just intensified our vigil in the borders for better management of the areas”, he told this reporter.

Meranwhile, Tripura has become "coronavirus free" with its second case being tested negative consecutively and discharged, the state's Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb confirmed.

In a video message, the chief minister relayed that the state has become corona free. "The first woman who was tested positive was discharged earlier and now, the second case has also been discharged after consecutive negative results", Deb said.

The chief Minister also thanked people of the state and front line workers for the development and urged everyone to maintain the social distancing protocols.

The Northeast Tally of the COVID-19 is as follows:

Assam: 35

Meghalaya: 12

Arunachal Pradesh: 1

Tripura: 2

Manipur: 2

Mizoram: 1

Nagaland: 1

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