East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner and Chairperson District Disaster Management Authority, Isawanda Laloo, has warned the public against being complacent against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just shy of 14,000 people in Meghalaya have contracted Covid-19 at some point since the pandemic took hold last year, with over half (8,676) of these recorded in East Khasi Hills alone. There have also been 148 deaths linked to the virus, including 122 in East Khasi Hills.
“The pandemic continues worldwide with new variants of the virus causing Covid-19 circulating globally. Many of us have learned to cope with it and follow all the preventive protocols. However, it has been observed that many have become complacent or are no longer adhering to the basic cardinal principles for protection against the virus,” Laloo said in a press release today.
She cautioned that the new coronavirus strains from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa have been detected in India and are highly transmissible and thus a cause for concern.
“Until 90 per cent of the population is immunised, herd immunity of the community cannot be attained. Hence, we should all take precautions and continue to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour at all times when we are in public places in order to prevent a rise in cases in our state,” the DC stated.
She also requested school and college principals and village headmen to ensure compliance of Covid-19 protocols in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Members of the public found to be violating these are liable to be fined under the Disaster Management Act and the Meghalaya Epidemic Diseases, Covid-19 Regulations 2020.
“The general public are therefore cautioned against any laxity which could lead to a spike in cases,” Laloo concluded.
