Schools to Close in Mizoram Due to New Covid Cases

AIZAWL, Apr 12:  The Mizoram Government has ordered closure of schools for students up to Class VIII following a surge in COVID-19 cases. Fresh guidelines issued last night said that the State Government has again banned night church service and extended the duration of night curfew by two hours in all the district headquarters, including the State capital as the second wave of COVID-19 has hit Mizoram. The curfew will now be in force from 8 pm to 4 am instead of 10 pm to 4 am.

However, ongoing examinations for classes IX to XII will continue as scheduled.

Schools for students of classes V to VIII had reopened on March 1 and for students of classes III and IV on April 1.

Classes in universities and colleges, however, will be subject to the decision taken by the State’s Higher and Technical Education Department, the order said.

Meanwhile, Mizoram today reported 25 new COVID-19 cases, taking the State’s tally to 4,583. Thirteen of the new patients are returnees from outside the State, while the rest have been locally infected.

The State currently has 115 active cases and 4,457 people have recovered from the infection. Eleven persons have succumbed to the virus so far.

A PTI report from Aizawl adds: Churches, cinema halls, auditoria, community halls, picnic spots and other places of entertainment like resorts are allowed to open with 50 per cent of their sitting capacity.

The number of attendees at a funeral, wedding and any social or political gathering was fixed at 50, the order said.

Shops, hotels, restaurants and other business establishments will open under strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

The guideline said that all returnees from other States would undergo rapid antigen tests and those testing negative would be placed under home isolation for seven days.

However, they will not require home quarantine if they test negative in RT-PCR and TrueNat laboratories.

Returnees from abroad or new COVID-19 variant-affected States will have to be quarantined at designated facilities. But if they have already stayed 10 days in the country after arriving and tested negative during screenings at the entry points here, they will be allowed seven days home isolation.

Quarantine is not mandatory for people who visit the State for a short stay not longer than 96 hours provided they possess a COVID-19 negative certificate not older than 96 hours upon their arrival in the State.