Nearly 40% of police personnel, who had gone to West Bengal and Assam and returned to Mizoram recently after election duty, have been infected by Covid19.
State spokesperson for Covid19 Dr. Pachuau Lalmalsawma said on Saturday that at least 275 policemen, who have returned from West Bengal and Assam after poll duty, have so far tested positive for Covid19.
Of the 275 police personnel, 236 have returned from West Bengal and the remaining 39 from Assam, he said.
According to Mizoram inspector general of police (headquarters) John Neihlaia, at least 8 companies of Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) and Indian Reserved battalions, numbering about 705, were sent to West Bengal and Assam during the State Assembly polls, which were concluded recently.
All the policemen returned to the state in April, he said.
He said the police personnel are now out of danger as most of them are asymptomatic.
Some of them have already recovered from the disease, he added.
Pachuau Lalmalsawma, who is the state nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) said more than 340 children, including a 2-month-old baby boy, who is the youngest, have so far tested positive for Covid19 this year.
He said the number of children infected by Covid19 is rising, which is indicative of a wider community spread.
As the state is grappling with the second wave of Covid19, the Mizoram Government imposed lockdown-like restrictions on April 20 and then lockdown in Aizawl and other district headquarters to break the chain of rising cases.
On Friday, the government announced a 7-day complete lockdown to be commenced from 4 am of May 10 till 4 am of May 17 following the continuous spike in Covid19 cases.
Meanwhile, 87 people were discharged from various Covid19 Care Cetres in several districts after they were declared “recovered.”
With this, the number of active cases has reduced from 1906 to 1,819 and the total recoveries have mounted to 5,546 on Saturday.
At least 17 people have succumbed to the infection so far.
The state on Saturday reported 235 Covid19 cases and the total count is 7,382.