By Firstdespatch Desk Dec 23, 2022
Agartala, Dec 23 (FD) With the bell for the assembly elections in Tripura rings, the state health department has taken initiative to undertake COVID-19 tests for the Central paramilitary force personnel who will arrive in Tripura for election duty, official sources said.
Around 300 companies of central forces are likely to be deployed in election-related duties in the state. Assembly elections in Tripura are due in February next year.
“We have received an advisory from the Centre in view of the sudden spurt of COVID-19 cases in some foreign countries. The state is following the guideline issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs”, Tripura, Health Secretary, Debasish Bose told reporters on Friday.
He said a guideline has been issued by the department asking the administration to conduct COVID-19 test for security personnel coming from outside the state for election duties.
“Jawans with COVID-19 symptoms will only undergo a Corona virus test. The test can be done at railway stations, DM and SDM offices,” he said.
The health secretary said the state has not recorded any alarming trend so far with no COVID-19 positive case reported during the past several days.
A total of 906 samples were taken up for COVID-19 testing and not a single positive case reported in the last 24 hours.
The northeastern state has reported 937 COVID-19 deaths so far while 1,08,034 positive cases were detected out of 26,25,544 samples tested. While the positivity rate stands at 4.11 per cent, the recovery rate is 99.67 per cent and the fatality rate is 0.87 per cent.
The state has already achieved 100 per cent first dose of COVID-19 vaccination while 90 per cent for second dose and 25 per cent for booster dose, said State Immunization Officer (SSO), Dr Mousumi Sarkar. FD JK