The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has accounted for enormous disruptions in the different domains of human lives and the same stands true for the national as well as global economy. Ensuring timely diagnosis of the COVID-19 infection is the most important step to interrupt the chain of transmission, as once the positive cases are identified they can be isolated and the onward spread of the infection can be interrupted. Amidst the fact that the infection is highly contagious, it is important to ensure that each laboratory performs a local risk assessment to ensure that safety of the laboratory personnel is maintained by improving the quality of infection prevention and control measures. Moreover, the laboratory staff should also strictly adhere to the standard microbiological practice and procedures. To conclude, in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an indispensable need to strengthen the laboratory network and also to improve the biosafety procedures to ensure wellbeing of the personnel.