Gangtok, May 24 (IANS): As many as 99 Buddhist monks of two monasteries tested positive for Covid-19 in Sikkim, officials said on Monday.

Officials in Gangtok said that the health and local administration officials are closely monitoring each and every Buddhist monastery in Sikkim and all kinds of precautionary and health facilities were provided to monks infected by the contagious disease.

According to the officials, 37 Buddhist monks from the Dharma Chakra Centre in Rumtek Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 30 kilometers from Gangtok, tested positive for the virus on Sunday.

They said that 62 monks tested positive for Covid-19 at the Gunjang Monastery in Gangtok on Saturday and the monastery was declared a containment zone.

Both the Rumtek Monastery and Gunjang Monastery are also tourist hotspots for various reasons including the majestic view of the mountain ranges.

The Covid positive monks have been shifted to Saramsa Garden making it as an isolation centre. Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate Robin Sewa said that those monks who have come in contact with the Covid positive preachers are also being traced and tested.

As the Covid positive cases continue to rise in the Himalayan state, the Sikkim government extended the ongoing lockdown for another week.

The mountainous state has so far registered 13,132 positive cases with 3,317 active cases on Monday.

So far 224 people have died due to the disease in the state registering the fatality ratio of 1.71 per cent.