Aurangabad, Jul 18 (PTI) Industrial units in Aurangabad will be part of a massive antigen test initiative to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the region, with number of tests expected to be in the range of 70-80,000, a senior Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA) functionary said on Saturday.

In a joint press meet with Collector Uday Choudhari, Police Commissioner Chiranjeev Prasad and Aurangabad civic chief Astik Kumar Pandey, former CMIA president Ram Bhogale said the plan will be funded jointly by the administration, industrial units and MIDC would also help.

Also Read | West Bengal Not Planning to Impose Total Lockdown Despite COVID-19 Surge, Restrictions Only in Containment Zones.

"Industrial units in Aurangabad are working with 50 per cent manpower for the past 45 days. Over the next 7-10 days, we will carry out antigen tests in all units. The number of tests could reach 70-80,000. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation will help us," Bhogale 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)