Aizawl, Jun 5: The Mizoram government on Saturday extended complete lockdown in capital Aizawl till June 14 as the state continues to register a spike in COVID-19 cases despite efforts to control it.
Whereas COVID-19 positive cases have not declined and the number of casualties is increasing in recent days, it is felt necessary to continue with the current restrictions imposed for curtailing peoples movement and activities with the purpose of containing further spread of coronavirus, the government order said. The lockdown guidelines issued on May 29 shall continue to be strictly implemented till 4 am of June 14, the order added.
The existing complete lockdown in Aizawl was scheduled to be lifted on June 7. According to the order issued on May 29, people residing within Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) area should not step out of their homes or compounds during the total lockdown. Shops dealing with essential commodities in AMC area will be allowed to open every morning and those dealing in agricultural seeds and equipment, school textbooks, motor workshops and spare parts will open on Tuesday between 5 am and 5 pm.
Shops dealing with construction materials, computer, mobile will be opened on Friday between 5 am and 5 pm, it said. Vegetable and meat markets are allowed to open on Friday, the order said. Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, dispensaries, bank and non-banking financial institutions, post offices, filling stations, LPG store houses, fair price shop, animal feed store are exempted from the restrictions. However, economic and other agricultural activities outside AMC area will function normally under strict adherence to Covid-198 protocols, the order had said.
All places of worship, educational institutions, public parks, picnic spots, movie theatres, gymnasiums, community halls, restaurants, shopping complexes and malls will continue to remain close in all parts of the state. Besides, all government offices barring few will remain close during the extended complete lockdown in Aizawl. However, government offices and commercial banks will be allowed to open under strict Covid-19 protocols outside the jurisdiction of the AMC area. Intra-state or inter-village movement is strictly prohibited except under medical emergencies and exceptional cases, the order said.
Meanwhile, one more Covid-19 death was reported on Saturday, which took the state's death toll to 52. A 70-year-old woman from Aizawl district has succumbed to the infection on Saturday afternoon, official sources said. She was diagnosed with Covid-19 through Rapid Antigen Test on May 9, it said. Three people, including a 27-year-old woman also died of Covid-19 on Friday night.
The 27-year-old female was the youngest among 52 Covid-19 victims in the state, according to officials. Mizoram on Saturday reported 236 Covid-19 cases, taking the states tally to 13,300. The state now has 3,316 active cases, while 9,932 people have recovered from the infection. At least 116 people were discharged from various Covid-19 Care Centres on Saturday. The recovery rate is 74.68 per cent and the death rate is 0.39 per cent.
