Nagaland govt extends Covid lockdown till 30 June
Premium- This is the fourth extension of the lockdown in the state since 14 May
- During the start of the lockdown, Nagaland's Covid-19 tally was 17,531. It reached 23,854 on Tuesday
The Nagaland government has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in the state till 30 June, reported news agency PTI.
While the restrictions were scheduled to end on 18 June, state officials decided to not ease the norms as the Covid-19 positivity rate continues to be above 5%.
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"The high-powered committee on Covid-19 headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, in a meeting today, decided to extend the lockdown till 30 June," state co-spokesperson and advisor Mmhonlumo Kikon said on Wednesday.
"The Covid situation in the state is improving but we are still not out of the woods. The positivity rate is declining but it needs to go down below 5%. Also, we need to inoculate more than 50% of the population," he added.
Kikon said that the government acknowledges the inconvenience faced by the people but "given the circumstances, we have to continue with the lockdown".
He said the district task forces on Covid-19 will later work out relaxations as per the situation.
This is the fourth extension of the lockdown in the state since 14 May.
The state had suspended all activities and movement of people, except essential services, agriculture and construction work, in view of the surging Covid cases.
Shops dealing in essential commodities such as grocery and bakery items, vegetables, fish, meat, milk and animal feed were allowed to remain open from 6 am to 12 noon daily and only one person per family could go to do the shopping.
During the start of the lockdown, Nagaland's Covid-19 tally was 17,531. It reached 23,854 on Tuesday.
However, the state has been recording more recoveries than fresh cases. The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients has improved from 71.98% on 17 May to 82.81% on Tuesday.
The cumulative caseload includes 19,753 cured people, while the number of active cases has come down to 2,972. Nagaland has so far registered 459 fatalities.
With inputs from agencies.
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