‘All mask campaign’ yielded positive result: Mizo COVID-19 management experts

Aizawl: A state-level expert committee on COVID-19 management has claimed that the ongoing statewide campaign known as “all mask campaign” has yielded a positive result. 

The campaign was launched on October 11 to resensitise people about the importance of wearing masks and other COVID-appropriate behaviour to combat the disease.

An official on Saturday said the meeting of the expert committee chaired by health minister Dr. R. Lalthangliana on Friday had pointed out that the campaign has significantly yielded positive results in reducing COVID-19 cases in the state. 

The meeting also decided to extend the campaign till December 31, he said.

However, the expert committee said that Mizoram can’t remain complacent and negligent despite a dip in COVID-19 cases.

“Though single-day cases are falling, the positivity rate still continues to go up. As this is the current situation, the state can’t remain complacent and negligent to COVID-19 containment measures,” the committee said in the meeting.

Citing that people have to take preventive or precautionary measures in a more intensive way, the committee said that Mizoram is still at the number 4 warning level of WHO. It suggested that congregational singing should continue to be banned in public gatherings like funeral and church services, among others.

The Mizoram government has allowed re-opening of churches or places of worship in COVID-19 free villages and towns outside Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) area on August 21.

Churches were re-opened within AMC area and other parts of the state including those towns and villages having COVID active cases on October 29. However, congregational singing is not allowed in the church, funeral and other public gatherings.

After registering a spike for months, Mizoram’s daily COVID-19 tally fell below 1,000 cases since October 15. The state has so far reported 1,28,217 COVID-19 cases and 458 fatalities. 669 cases and one death were reported on Saturday. 

The COVID-19 recovery rate now is 95.23 per cent, which is less than the national average of 98.26 per cent while the death rate is 0.35 per cent against 1.35 per cent. 
The number of active cases now stands at 5,654 while over 1.22 lakh people have recovered from the infection. 

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