Gangtok, Jul 11 (PTI) Twenty-six more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Sikkim, taking the total number of infections in the Himalayan state to 147 on Saturday, the Health Department said.

There are 66 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and as many as 81 patients have recovered so far, officials said.

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Twenty-three people from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) camp at Rongli tested positive for the pathogen, while three others are from the quarantine facility in Karfectar in South Sikkim district, Health Secretary Pempa T Bhutia said.

All the new cases are asymptomatic. The GREF camp and nearby Rongli Bazar have been declared containment zones due to the detection of large number of COVID-19 cases, the official said.

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Under the containment zone order for Rongli Bazaar in East Sikkim district, a complete ban has been imposed with immediate effect on the movement of the people till July 19, while all shops, except those selling essential commodities, shall be closed completely.

East Sikkim District Collector Raj Yadav has served a show-cause notice to the commanding officer 130 of the RCC GREF for alleged non-compliance of instructions of the state government for containment of the spread of COVID-19 at its camp.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang inaugurated the rapid antigen testing centre at the Rangpo Screening Centre.

The rapid antigen tests are an easy and faster method to detect coronavirus cases and can provide results within 30 minutes, the officials said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)