Shillong, July 23 (PTI): Nineteen people, including 13 BSF personnel, tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya on Thursday, taking the state''s tally to 534, an official said.
The state now has 452 active coronavirus cases, Health Services Director, Aman War, said.
Of the fresh patients, 13 Border Security Force staffers were from East Khasi Hills district and three each from South West Garo Hills and West Garo Hills, he said.
According to the official, overall 282 BSF personnel have tested positive for coronavirus in the state, he said.
"East Khasi Hills district has 379 active coronavirus cases, followed by 42 in Ri Bhoi, 15 in West Garo Hills, four each in South Garo and South West Garo Hills, three in East Jaintia Hills and one each in East Garo and North Garo Hills," War said.
He said 78 people have recovered from the disease so far, and four died of it.
The state government has declared seven villages in West Jaintia Hills district and the block 2 of Lumpynngad area in the city as containment zones after new COVID-19 cases were reported from these localities.
West Jaintia Hills District Magistrate, Garod L S N Dykes, has declared seven villages -- Amlarem, Krangpamtdong, Amsarim, Ladjaplem, Amshipai, Lai Lyngdoh and Amlatdoh -- as containment zones from midnight of July 22, after three persons tested positive for COVID-19 from these areas.
"The seven villages have been declared as containment zones in order to detect people who came in contact with the three and to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the district," Dykes said.
The director of the health services said the state government has urged the armed forces, including the Army and the Air Force, to conduct COVID-19 tests for their personnel.
"All the heads of different CAPF and the armed forces have agreed to the idea of having separate testing units and will discuss it with their higher authorities. This is because of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases among the paramilitary forces.
"This will enable the armed forces to test their personnel who are coming from other parts of the country," War added.
