Mizoram extends total lockdown in Aizawl Municipal Corporation till July 31 

AIZAWL: The Mizoram government on Friday extended the total lockdown in Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) and imposed certain COVID-19 restrictions in other parts of the state till July 31 to curb surging infections, officials said.

The ongoing shutdown was scheduled to be lifted on Saturday.

The state government, in an official release, said the present COVID-19 positive detection rate is "extremely high" despite stringent measures taken to arrest rising cases.

"It is felt necessary to continue with the current restriction for prevention of the further spread of coronavirus, and to facilitate the ongoing mass testing conducted by the health and family welfare department," it said.

Lockdown or other restrictions may be imposed in other places in the state by deputy commissioners depending on the pandemic situation, the release said.

Essential services like water and electricity supply, healthcare, vaccination and LPG distribution will function normally.

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

There is, however, no restriction on travel and transportation of goods outside the AMC area.

Meanwhile, Mizoram on Friday reported 847 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic struck in March last year, a health department official said.

The state's tally stands at 30,492, of which 7,559 are active cases.

As many as 22,802 people have recovered from the infection, including 185 since Friday. A total of 131 people have succumbed to the virus so far, he said.

According to State Immunisation Officer Lalzawmi, over 6. 16 lakh people have been inoculated in the state thus far.