AIZAWL, June 15 - Mizoram today recorded five new cases of COVID-19, thus putting the tally at 117.
The five new cases were detected from 682 samples that were examined.
All five patients are female and aged between 21-23 years. All of them are Delhi returnees and asymptomatic. They are all from Mamit district, official sources informed.
At present, there are 116 active cases in the state. The state�s first COVID-19 patient, admitted to hospital on March 24, was discharged on May 9.
Curfew lifted: In the meantime, curfew was lifted in two localities and a private hospital in Aizawl was reopened for public today after samples of suspects tested negative for COVID-19. A statement of Mission Veng local task force on COVID-19 said today that curfew was lifted in the locality after all samples of those who were known to have come in contact with a COVID-19 patient from the locality came out last night and tested negative.
As reported earlier, a 57-year-old bus conductor had ferried returnees from Bairabi Railway Station in northern Mizoram to the state capital and subsequently tested negative for the virus on June 13.
As the patient was under home quarantine and allegedly did not strictly follow quarantine guidelines, it sent a wave of panic among the citizens. Curfew was imposed in the area and hectic contact tracing was conducted.
A private hospital at Mission Veng locality where the patient had gone to have a medical check-up a day before he tested positive, was also immediately sealed. Samples of 29 staff of this hospital were also collected and all came out negative.
Meanwhile, Edenthar local task force in northern Aizawl also lifted curfew today after samples of nine residents who came either directly or indirectly in contact with a positive person tested negative last night.
A private driver from this locality had ferried a construction company official from Delhi who later tested positive for COVID-19. Even though this company official was quarantined at a hotel in Aizawl, the local driver was not.
Members of the panic-stricken local task force had to declare curfew in the locality and the driver and his family members were home quarantined. The driver, his family members and others who he had come in contact with have in the meantime tested negative, a statement of Edenthar local task force said.
Though curfew was lifted in these two localities, total lockdown is still in force along with the rest of Mizoram.
