The ten-day containment for Shillong, Jowai, Tura towns and the entire Ri-Bhoi district will come into force from tomorrow morning.
The containment measures will be for ten days and conclude on May 10 as part of efforts to contain the aggressive second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. Only essential services will be allowed during the containment period.
Inter or intra-district movement from these four places will be restricted. Authorities have said that any other travel due to emergency shall require permission from the respective deputy commissioners (DCs) concerned.
All public, political and religious gatherings have been prohibited. Weddings and funerals are permitted subjected to adherence to protocols regulated by the respective DCs. Movement of public transportation has also been restricted.
Essential shops will be allowed to open subject to regulations, on fixed days and timing.
All construction activities will be allowed, including shops dealing in hardware, electrical, mobile repair shops, automobile shops.
Banks and banking services, post and telegraph, telecommunication services will be allowed. Officials traveling on essential government duty, health and emergency duty, media personnel, students, teachers and staff related to conduct of MBOSE examinations are allowed to move during the containment period.
Meanwhile, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Isawanda Laloo today urged the citizens not to venture out during the containment period from May 1 to 10.
“If you don’t have a genuine purpose, please use this time to stay home. We have seen an alarming spike in cases. Today we have seen 229 cases which are the highest ever this year in a single of which East Khasi Hills alone recorded 124. The purpose of the ten-day containment period is to reduce the intermingling of people to stop people from crowding to prevent any interactions of non-essential nature because we never know who could be carrying the virus,” Laloo said.
She also said that the district administration is working with the community like local headmen, religious organisations etc in order to impart knowledge to people and eliminate fears from the minds of the people about the vaccine.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the containment measures undertaken by the government is not to inconvenience people but to flatten the curve and encourage people to get themselves vaccinated.
She said that those violating the movements protocols will be liable to penal action as per law.
The DC has assured that people would not find any shortage of essential commodities even as she urged people not to panic.
She urged people to buy their essential commodities within their respective localities and not venture out of it.
Stating that wholesalers and dealers of such items would operate from the main market in Ïewduh, Laloo said that efforts have been taken to streamline the opening of Ïewduh and wholesalers and dealers would open their shops in a staggered manner.
According to her, this would ensure that there is no overcrowding in the main market and social distancing is maintained.
She also informed that the district administration have closed down around 15 shops indefinitely for flouting Covid-19 norms.
