Pithoragarh, September 3: 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. Coronavirus Lockdown in India: Violators, Rumour-Mongers May Face Imprisonment Upto Two Years, Full List of MHA Guidelines.

"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.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)