An alarming 65 per cent of returnees to Meghalaya are testing positive for Covid-19, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed today.
The CM held a meeting to review the situation where it was decided that returnees will have to quarantine for seven days even if their RT-PCR tests come back negative.
The review meeting also decided that more restrictions in certain areas would be promulgated and that the East Khasi Hills district administration will provide a clear definition of essential or non-essential when it comes to activities that are permitted or banned.
Sangma also warned the residents of Shillong that the situation is serious and that if the right steps are not taken by all concerned then it could go from very bad to even worse.
“Therefore it is essential that we take responsibility at our level to ensure that we don’t go out of our homes unless it is absolutely necessary,” he appealed.
The Chief Minister also informed that the state will soon have six medical oxygen generation plants – three funded by the PM Cares fund and another three by the United Nations Development Programme. These will be set up, hopefully, in the next two to three weeks.
The government is also undertaking an expansion in the number of beds in healthcare facilities across all districts in order to be prepared if the Covid-19 situation gets worse.
According to Sangma, if the trajectory of new cases continues, Meghalaya could have 5,000 active cases by the middle of May, which could put a huge strain on the state’s health infrastructure.
Sangma also said that the government has written to the companies producing vaccines, but no clarity on the date Meghalaya will receive the vaccines has been given. Meghalaya requires around 30 lakh doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
