Fewer than one in five residents of the famous tourist village of Mawlynnong had received the Covid-19 vaccine before the beginning of this month, leaving many shops and guesthouses shuttered even as Meghalaya reopens for tourism following the economic devastation wrought by the second wave of the pandemic.
The Sub-Divisional Officer in charge of the area has only allowed those establishments run by people who have received the jab to reopen.
Headman of Mawlynnong, Moral Kharrymba, said that not even 20 per cent of the population of 600 had taken the vaccine before September 1, the day Meghalaya reopened to tourists.
Why the public is so reluctant even the headman could not say, as they gave him varying and unclear reasons. However, making vaccination a prerequisite to reopen businesses has at least pushed the vaccination rates up to 50 per cent.
Even this level, though, is not good enough as the involvement of the entire village is required to get tourism in ‘Asia’s cleanest village’ going again.
Just a handful of people turn up to the Health Department’s vaccination drives and Kharrymba said that it has been hard to get people to understand the need to get jabbed since it is not mandatory.
“We have tried the door-to-door campaign and worked vigorously with the Covid management team along with the ASHA and Aganwadi workers to make the others understand the importance of taking the vaccine but to no avail,” he said.
Out of those people who run the 24 homestays, two guesthouses and 18 shops in the village, only around half are immunised against the coronavirus. Everyone wants to earn a living but are not willing to get a simple injection, the headman lamented.
Because of the risks, at present tourist numbers are not allowed to exceed one-third of the village population per day. This is far lower than what Mawlynnong used to experience before the pandemic, when over 1,000 visitors would pile into the picturesque village, which is famous not just for its cleanliness but also the balancing rock, pretty bamboo guesthouses and nearby root bridge. Those numbers brought its own problems but also a boon; in parking fees alone a typical day could yield Rs 25,000.
To maintain its picture postcard quality, the Mawlynnong Dorbar has always tried to keep the village spotlessly clean by conducting regular cleaning and beautification drives. For these, it has dipped into its reserve funds. However, Kharrymba said that these reserves are almost depleted after 18 months of Covid chaos. He expressed hope that things would improve if more people come forward for the jab but is unhappy that the government has not assisted the village with financial aid.
