'Wear mask 24x7, even inside home', advises Mizoram govt alarmed over COVID spike

As Mizoram emerges as a new COVID-19 hotspot in India, the state government has issued stringent guidelines to curb the spread of the infection. Launching a 10-day 'All Mask' campaign, the Mizoram government has urged the residents to wear masks 24x7, and to only remove them during meals. The northeastern state has been reporting an increasing number of COVID-19 cases over the last few weeks. The state's positivity rate has reached an alarming 17%. According to the government, one of the main factors behind the rising COVID-19 cases in the state is the people’s reluctance towards COVID-appropriate behaviour. 

To counter the public negligence, a team led by convener Dr F. Lallianhlira has decided to launch an aggressive awareness campaign in Mizoram, where masks have been given prime importance. "During the campaign, people should were masks even at home all the time except during meals and family members should not dine together," the state government said in an order released on Monday. The new guidelines come a week after a four-member central team visited Mizoram to assess the COVID-19 situation in the state.

The key points of the 16-point recommendation are: 

• Wearing a mask at all times, even at home 
• No dining on a table, opting for buffet meals instead of eating together
• Wearing masks at all times in offices/working areas.
• Practising hand hygiene, washing hands, and use of sanitisers

Mizoram's COVID-19 tally surged to 1,07,566 on Tuesday with 1,430 more people testing positive for the virus. Five new fatalities pushed the death toll to 363, an official said. The single-day positivity rate currently stands at 15.18 per cent after 9,422 samples tested positive on Tuesday. At least 288 children were among the newly infected people. 

(With Agency Inputs)