Sikkim reported its first case of cororanvirus today. (Representatioal)
Sikkim, which till date was the only COVID-free state in the country, reported its first case of cororanvirus today.
A student, 25, who recently returned from Delhi tested positive for the highly contagious virus today.
"He's a 25 year old student from South Sikkim who was undergoing coaching for competitive exams. He came back to the State on 17 May and was quarantined at JNV Ravangla. He is admitted at the Covid-19 ward at STNM (hospital) now," said Sikkim's Health Secretary Dr PT Bhutia in a press conference at state capital Gangtok.
The officials are tracing all the people came in contact with the patient, he added.
The patient's sample was sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) after he showed symptoms for Coronavirus.
The test came out positive on Saturday afternoon, Mr Bhutia added.
For the past four months, Sikkim was the only state in India that had not reported any coronavirus patients.
In an earlier interview to NDTV, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang had said that the state managed to achieve this feat by staying on alert ever since the county recorded its first case in January.
Earlier this month, Sikkim had decided to slap "attempt to murder" charges against those who try to enter without mandatory virus screening.
The state government has made it compulsory to take the COVID-19 test, irrespective of symptoms, before entering.