Mizoram reimposes total lockdown in AMC area as COVID-19 cases rise

The Mizoram government has reimposed a seven-day complete lockdown in Aizawl Municipal Corporation area in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, over two weeks after easing restrictions, officials said.

The announcement also comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the COVID-19 situation was worrisome in some districts of the northeastern region, and urged the chief ministers to stay alert and act fast to check the further spread of the virus.

The health ministry, too, had flagged concerns over a surge in coronavirus cases in the regon in the recent past, and central teams have been deputed to seven states, including Mizoram.

The shutdown will be in force from July 18 till the midnight of July 24, an official order said.

Lockdown or other stringent restrictions may be imposed in other parts of the state by deputy commissioners depending on the pandemic situation, it said.

The Mizoram government had eased restrictions in the AMC area from June 30.

The order said the trajectory of positive cases continues to rise with the daily average of new infections growing steadily from 55 in April to 202 in May to 381 in the first fortnight of July.

With the majority of fresh cases being reported from the AMC area, the imposition of total lockdown is necessary to curtail a further surge, it said.

Only essential services including water and electricity, healthcare and LPG distribution will function, the notification said.

All shops will be closed in the AMC area except those dealing with essential commodities, it added.

At least 483 more people, including 127 children, have tested positive for the virus in Mizoram, pushing the tally to 26,690, an official said on Saturday.

The state also reported one more coronavirus death in the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 120, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)