Sikkim Extends Lockdown Till August 3 Amid Spurt in Covid-19 Cases; 126 More Test Positive in Nagaland

The Sikkim government on Friday extended the complete lockdown in the state till August 3 in view of a spurt in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said.

As per the revised guidelines from the Home Department, the lockdown remains extended till 6 am on August 3, a notification issued by Chief Secretary S C Gupta said.

A set of revised guidelines with regard to restrictions on movement and gathering of people, however, will come into force on August 3 and will be applicable till August 31, he said.

The Sikkim government had reimposed a complete lockdown in the state on July 20 for six days and extended it till August 1 in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Himalayan state on Friday reported 29 more COVID-19 cases, taking the total count in the state to 639, a senior official said. Of the 29 cases, one was reported from West Sikkim and the rest from east, Director General-cum-Secretary, Health, Dr Pempa T Bhutia, said.

Currently, the active number of coronavirus cases in the state stands at 407, while 231 people have recovered from the viral disease so far. One person has succumbed to the infection earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Nagaland on Friday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases, with 126 more people testing positive for the infection, officials said.

The new cases have taken the virus count in the state to 1,692, they said. Dimapur district reported 95 new cases while Kohima registered 31, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.

The fresh infections have pushed the number of active cases in the state to 1,062, while 625 people have recovered from COVID-19 and five patients have died of it, the officials said.

Chief Secretary Temjen Toy issued a set of guidelines restricting the movement and gathering of people in the state during the lockdown period, which has been extended till August 31 in the wake of a spurt in coronavirus cases.

Nagaland had reported its first coronavirus cases on May 25 after three returnees from Chennai tested positive for the infection. The state has witnessed a steady rise in the number of COVID-19 cases since then.

The recovery rate among the COVID-19 patients in Nagaland is 36.93 per cent, they added.