East Khasi Hills, and Shillong in particular, has dominated the Covid-19 statistics in Meghalaya, with the most number of cases and deaths, but a surge in infections in the other districts means that lockdowns should be extended statewide, a doctor at a city hospital has told Highland Post.
Currently only East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi are under lockdown. Today it was decided that EKH will continue to remain under lockdown until at least May 17. The other nine districts are also enduring a ‘weekend lockdown’ from Saturday to Monday morning.
The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit Meghalaya with a sledgehammer. The lean months of January to March saw an official count of just 638 cases in total. This suddenly went pear-shaped in April, with Meghalaya adding 2,781. East Khasi Hills accounted for 2,009 of these new infections, with those in the other 10 districts amounting to 772.
In the first seven days of May, EKH reported 1,314 new cases and the other 10 districts 767. That means that in just seven days the other 10 districts recorded almost as many Covid infections as they did in the whole of April, suggesting that the second wave is having an effect in these places as well.
Lockdowns take time to bring infection rates down, the doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, said. With the seven-day average of new infections in Meghalaya over 300 (the highest it has ever been), she felt that the government has no choice but to impose lockdowns in every district.
Without a strong lockdown, something governments are wary of given the damage they do to the economy and individual finances, Meghalaya could see new cases up to 600 daily by the end of the month, a rate that would overwhelm the healthcare network, the doctor feared.