Mizoram govt advises people to wear masks while stepping out

In its bid to combat the spread of coronavirus cases, the Mizoram government on Wednesday issued an advisory asking people to wear face masks while stepping out of their houses.

An official statement here said that any person, when leaving home, is advised to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A homemade mask will be also be allowed apart from a readymade mask, the statement said.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a new study has claimed that wearing a face mask is one of the best preventive measures to protect a person from being infected with the coronavirus, the statement said.

The government advised people to have at least two face masks besides telling them to wash their hands carefully before wearing a mask. The state also asked people to use a good quality cloth to make a mask.

Every mask should be washed thoroughly after a single use, the statement added. So far, at least five states and a union territory, have made wearing face masks mandatory in public places.

Meanwhile, the Centre has made wearing face masks mandatory in workplaces which will come into effect from April 20. Mizoram has reported one COVID-19 case so far after a 50-year-old pastor tested positive on March 25.

The patient is undergoing treatment at Zoram Medical College (ZMC) near Aizawl. State nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and epidemiologist Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma told PTI that a woman from Mizoram, who tested positive in Mumbai on Monday, retested positive on Wednesday.

He said that results of 22 people from Mizoram, whose samples were collected and tested in Mumbai on Tuesday, has not been declared till Wednesday evening. They were staying with the infected woman in a dormitory of the Mizoram House in Mumbai, he said.