COVID-19: Mizoram announces closure of educational institutions

Aizawl: The Mizoram government has announced the closure of all educational institutions for two weeks commencing from Tuesday till March 31 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

An official informed EastMojo that a meeting of state health department under the leadership of health minister R Lalthangliana on Monday unanimously decided to take preventive measure by shutting down all educational institutions, including pre-schools from March 17 to March 31 under The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 (Act No. 3 of 1897).

He said that the meeting also decided to ban picnic, gymnastic spot, cinema hall and swimming poll to prevent mass gathering for the same period.

The meeting also agreed to continue with banning of mass gathering in hospitals and also prohibited outsiders to visit inmates of residential institutions, de-addiction centres and children homes, Lalthangliana added.

Any new admission at such homes will be allowed after thorough screening the person concerned, he said.

The meeting also decided to launch awareness campaign for church goers during Sunday Bible classes commencing from March 22.

A request would be sent to all churches through Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC) for the campaign, the official said.

The Mizoram University (MZU) and its constituent Pachhunga University College (PUC), in separate orders on Monday, suspended classes from Tuesday to April 3 in the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak.

MZU registrar Prof Lal Nundanga said that the decision was taken as per the Centre directive to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Classes for all departments will remain shut between March 17 and April 3. However, offices will remain open and both teaching and non-teaching staffs will come to the universities during the suspension,” he said, adding that the order will be reviewed on March 27.

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He said that students will be allowed to collect study materials and filling up of examination forms during the suspension.

Meanwhile, the state government has appealed to the people with coronavirus-like symptoms to stay indoors and take treatment in hospital to prevent the spread of the deadly pandemic, a state health department official said.

Mizoram has not reported any confirmed case of deadly coronavirus till date.

The official said that the state government by a notification, made an advisory appeal to people, who suffer from fever, cold, cough and respiratory problem, to not attend school, college, church, public gathering and venture outside, especially market places.

People with such symptoms are also advised to stay at home and go to hospital or doctors for immediate treatment, he said.

He said that the advisory order was issued as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus though the state has not reported any confirmed case of the virus till date, he said.

Oppositions Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and Congress have appealed to the state government to expedite screening at Vairengte along the state border with Assam.