Mizoram health minister Dr R Lalthangliana on Thursday said that the government is making massive efforts to conduct a sample test for all the Chennai returnees, who have been released from quarantine facilities on completion of the quarantine period.
The move was prompted by the situation in neighbouring states wherein many returnees from Chennai have tested positive for novel coronavirus, he said.
“The government is currently tracing the Chennai returnees, who have been discharged from quarantine facilities, and is collecting their swab samples for laboratory test as a precautionary measure,” Lalthangliana said, adding half of the task has been completed.
He urged the people to refrain from spreading rumours and fake news which could create public panic.
He also urged the people not to panic but to trust the government in its efforts to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
According to the health minister, the government has successfully installed two automated RNA extractor machines at Zoram Medical College (ZMC), which will be operational soon to accelerate the testing capacity of the two installed RT-PCR machines in order to increase the testing ratio.
He said that an RT-PCR machine bought with the money donated by a trader has reached Aizawl on Thursday.
Nearly 900 people had returned from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on May 15.
Mizoram on Thursday reported 9 fresh Covid-19 positive cases, taking the tally to 102.
There are 101 active cases in the state of which 50 are males and 51 are females.
The first patient, who tested positive on March 24, had already recovered on May 9.