TURA/SHILLONG: With two more state residents, who had returned from Uttar Pradesh testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma admitted challenges in the next two weeks. He also asked the people not to panic.
Both the patients are under quarantine in Chibinang, West Garo Hills.
With the fresh cases, the number of active cases has gone up to 17.
After reviewing COVID-19 preparedness in East Garo Hills, the chief minister said, “There will be challenges in the next two weeks as we expect the return of more stranded citizens and everyone should remain alert and not panic even if the positive cases are detected”.
He also urged the district administration to protect the elderly people and to be ready for new norms post lockdown.
While informing about the investment of the government in the health sector, the chief minister assured that ambulances will be provided to all the CHCs and the PHCs in the next two years and added that the government was committed to provide quick testing machines to all the districts.
The chief minister, before the review meeting, visited the quarantine centres and corona care centre at Williamnagar and interacted with the inmates and distributed books on general knowledge.
300 test negative
Meanwhile, in a significant boost to the fight against COVID-19 infections, over 300 high risk contacts in the state who came in touch with the positive patients have tested negative for the disease giving a much needed breather to the medical frontline workers.
Those who had either interacted or travelled with the positive detected corona patients are termed as high risk contacts and are traced out through contact tracing by search teams of the government.
) Garo Hills region has a total of nine positive cases following the detection of two student returnees on Tuesday. Both hail from West Garo Hills pushing the district tally to five so far.
South West Garo Hills has three positive cases and North Garo Hills one case.
“Barring the latest detection of two cases in West Garo Hills, we have already completed testing for COVID-19 on over 300 high risk contacts across the state. The good news is that everyone has tested negative,” informed Commissioner and Secretary for Health P Sampath Kumar while speaking to The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
Not leaving anything to chances, the COVID-19 prevention teams of the health department have been directed to undertake another round of testing of every high risk contact currently under institutional or home quarantine.
“Although we have already tested them and results are negative we will hold another round of testing for all the high risk contacts within 14 days,” assured Kumar.
