11 fresh Covid-19 cases in Mizoram; count rises to 408

Aizawl, July 31 (PTI): Eleven more people, including two children, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram, taking the northeastern state's caseload to 408 on Friday, officials said.

Ten fresh coronavirus cases were reported in Aizawl district while one was registered in Lunglei, a statement issued by the Information and Public Relations Department said.

The new patients had returned to the state from different parts of the country, it said.

The fresh infections have pushed the number of active cases in the state to 174 while 234 people have recovered, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Mizoram government has issued an order stating that people entering the state will have to pay to get their samples tested for Covid-19.

The rule will come into force from Saturday onwards and it will apply to both locals and residents of other states, the order said.

The government has fixed a subsidised rate of INR 2,500 for an RT-PCR test and INR 1,500 for a TrueNat test for people entering the state, it said.

People voluntarily going for tests to get medical certificates, however, will have to shell out INR 4,500 for an RT-PCR test and INR 3,000 for one on a TrueNat machine, the order stated.

However, ICMR-mandated tests and those conducted during contact tracing as advised by the state government will not be charged, it added.