Dimapur, May 27 (EMN): In a significant move that could help the state in fighting the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the government of Nagaland has decided to set up a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) testing laboratory in Tuensang district headquarters and TrueNat testing facility in all the districts.
This was informed by minister for Planning and Co-ordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, Neiba Kronu, who is also one of the state government's spokespersons on Covid-19, on Wednesday through an update.
“The state government through Medical department will undertake necessary procedures for technical clearance for establishment of the laboratory from the Government of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),” the update read.
The announcement came amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in the state with nine returnees from Chennai testing positive for the virus so far. The state government is said to be planning to bring its stranded citizens by rail and road.
Nagaland currently has one functional biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) virology laboratory at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima. The facility has started testing samples of Covid-19 suspects since it was inaugurated on May 21.
The construction of BSL-2 lab at Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) in Dimapur, is said to be in progress but it is not functional yet.