COVID-19: Mizoram to ban bursting of firecrackers on Christmas, New Year

The decision in this regard was taken during a high- level meeting chaired by Home Minister Lachamliana on Monday.
Representational image (File photo)
Representational image (File photo)

AIZAWL: The Mizoram government has decided to ban the bursting of firecrackers on Christmas and New Year to curb air pollution which could aggravate respiratory problems of COVID-19 patients and others, an official said on Tuesday.

The decision in this regard was taken during a high- level meeting chaired by Home Minister Lachamliana on Monday, he said.

Apart from firecrackers, the use of sky lanterns and other pyrotechnics including toy guns has also been banned, the official said.

Prohibitory orders in this regard will be issued by deputy commissioners, he said.

During the meeting, it was also decided to set up special police checkpoints and conduct mobile patrolling during the festive season, the official said.

Apart from the police, COVID-19 local task force volunteers will be roped in for the purpose, he said.

Bursting of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic materials is a widespread practice during the festive season in the Christian-majority state.

The state government had earlier banned firecrackers to enable people to celebrate the festival in a peaceful manner but this year the administration is more concerned about pollution in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

State Health and Family Welfare Board Vice Chairman Dr Z R Thiamsanga said this year's Christmas and New Year celebrations are likely to be subdued due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government is unlikely to allow congregational singing called 'Zaikhawm' or community feasts, integral parts of the festivities along with church service, as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the disease, he said.

Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana will convene a meeting during the day to deliberate on coronavirus-related issues in view of the festive season, he added.

Mizoram's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,710 on Tuesday as 50 more people, including nine Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

Lawngtlai district reported the highest number of new cases at 22, followed by Aizawl and Serchhip (nine each) and Champhai (eight), he said.

Nine infections were detected during RT-PCR tests, 11 during TrueNat and 30 during rapid antigen tests, the official said.

Nine BSF jawans, six children and three elderly persons are among the new patients, he said.

Thirteen new patients have travel history, while 37 infections were detected during contact tracing, the official said.

The state now has 502 active coronavirus cases, while 3,203 people have recovered from the disease and five patients have succumbed to the infection to date, he said.

Mizoram has tested 1,42,133 samples for COVID-19 so far, the official added.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com