With Meghalaya slowly coming to grips with the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccinations picking up, the state government is hopeful of safely restarting tourism, weddings and inter-district travel, which had all been banned since May to curb the spread of the disease.
A review meeting on the Covid situation was held today wherein Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma asked the Deputy Commissioners to hold consultations with stakeholders in the tourism sector and with religious leaders.
“We want to start reopening the tourism sector in a safe manner. Options like having local tourism, vaccinated tourists and limiting numbers are there,” Sangma said.
The tourism sector, on which Meghalaya has increasingly relied on in the last few years, has been battered by the pandemic and the government is keen to try and open it up again, but without increasing the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
One option could be to allow in only tourists who have been fully vaccinated, i.e., those having received two doses. Currently, all entrants into Meghalaya from other states must undergo Covid tests unless they are fully vaccinated.
The DCs have been told to engage with tour operators, the Health Department and other stakeholders to see if the ban on tourism can be relaxed.
Similarly, marriages have had to be postponed due to the pandemic and the government has asked the DC to discuss with religious leaders to see how safety can be maintained while solemnising marriages.
Sangma also hinted that there could be some sort of relaxation in inter-district movement as the ban on travelling between districts has caused a lot of difficulty. He added that there will be a slight increase in the number of commercial vehicles allowed on the roads from next week.
“By next week we may be able to take some more major decisions on further relaxations,” the CM added.
However, cautious opening up of economic activities has been the way adopted by the government and there will be no change to this.
Meanwhile, Sangma said that his government is firmly focussed on vaccinating the entire eligible population.
“We are touching 15,000-16,000 vaccinations per day. By next week we hope to touch the 20,000 figure. If we are able to touch 20,000-25,000 shots per day by September, we will be able to hopefully vaccinate the entire target group,” he said.
