Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has quarantined himself at his home from Thursday after a few of his staff at his residence have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said.

The officials said to PTI, "Few persons in the Chief Minister's Residential Complex have tested positive for COVID-19. All SOPs are being implemented. The complex is being sanitised and the residential office closed for 48 hours. The normal functioning of the CMO is continuing following all guidelines".

Meanwhile, the CMO tweeted, "As a safety precaution, the Honourable Chief Minister is in home quarantine while strict adherence to SOPs has been put in place for primary and secondary contacts".

Yesterday, 53 more people, including the staffers of the chief minister's residential complex, tested positive for COVID-19, taking the state's tally to 1,566 and 936 active cases, Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu Phom said. 625 cases have recovered from the disease and five died of it. The recovery rate in the state now stands at 39.9 percent, Phom said.