Bihar CM Nitish Kumar directs strict COVID test of people coming from Bengal by trains and buses

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday told officials to strictly conduct COVID test of passengers coming to the state by trains and buses from West Bengal having high positivity rate.

Kumar gave this direction while conducting a virtual high-level meeting on the COVID situation with the health department officials as well as the district magistrates during the day.

According to official sources the positivity rate of Bengal is more than 10 per cent.

The Bihar chief minister said positivity rate is falling in the state but still clinical examination for coronavirus should be further scaled up.

Positivity rate in Bihar which was in the excess of 10 per cent in the beginning of the month has dropped to around 3 per cent now.

The chief minister emphasised on aggressive testing for infection in the rural areas.

He told officials to pay special attention to spread of ther virus in rural areas.

He instructed officials to conduct household survey for the infection in the rural areas.

The chief minister said there should be no leniancy in providing medicines and taking carer of COVID patients recuperating in home isolation.

Kumar ordered that ex-gratia amont of Rs 4 lakh should be paid to families of coronavirus victims without delay.

Additional chief secretary Health Pratyaya Amrit briefed the meeting about latest situation of coronavirus in the state.

Meanwhile, Bihar recorded 104 fresh COVID deaths on Tuesday, taking the toll to 4746.

Total 3306 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours in the state spiking the tally of coronavirus cases to 6,95,726.

Recovery rate of COVID patients has risen top 95.27 per cent in Bihar.

The state has a total of 35129 active caseload at present.