Worries have been expressed for the health of pregnant women during the lockdown in East Khasi Hills as the government has not specifically mentioned that they should stay at home.
While generally people have been told to remain at home unless absolutely necessary, workers in key areas can go to work. A concerned citizen today raised the issue of pregnant women being made to work during the lockdown with Highland Post, saying that they should be exempted because of the risk to their health that Covid-19 poses.
“In our present Covid-19 situation, I laud the government’s decision to extend the lockdown in East Khasi Hills to control the spread of this deadly virus. However, there are exceptions for certain offices, such as banks and post offices. It is a matter of serious concern to see that pregnant and breastfeeding women employed in banks, post offices and state and central government offices have to attend work to serve the public, which, in turn, puts them at great risk of catching the virus,” the individual, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “Although last year the government had given strict lockdown orders for pregnant women to stay at home to safeguard their well-being, this year we have not seen any such orders from the government.”
