Remote Arunachal circle people impose self-lockdown as Covid cases rise

The people of a remote administrative circle in Arunachal Pradesh have decided to impose 'self-lockdown' in the area for a week in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases, an official said on Friday. The administration did not issue any order but the people of Yomcha circle in West Siang district themselves decided to observe lockdown from Friday to July 22, the District Information and Public Relation Officer (DIPRO), Gijum Tali, said.

The decision was made during a meeting on Thursday in which local people and government officers participated.

Yomcha is around 24 km from Aalo, the district headquarters, and has a population of over 2,000.


The decision was lauded by senior officials who said that Yomcha lacks facilities to treat serious patients and evacuation too is difficult during the monsoon.

West Siang district in the past few days recorded 112 fresh COVID-19 cases.

It was decided that the entry and exit of any person and vehicle from or towards Yomcha shall be restricted, and all shops and other business establishments shall remain closed during the seven days, Tali said.