SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the COVID-19 situation in the state was unprecedented and a big challenge with 6000 secondary contacts and 200 primary contacts of the first positive patient besides massive quarantine is still taking place.
The number of persons both in home and institutional quarantine is 5,208.
Speaking to media persons on Thursday, the state government has asserted that 99 per cent of COVID-19 tests in the state have resulted as negative till date while maintaining that the next one week is very crucial for the state in its fight against the deadly virus.
He, however, said that while the state is looking forward, things cannot be taken for granted even as he added that testing would continue besides there would also be re-testing in certain cases.
“Picture will be clearer as the days go by and the next one week is crucial for us,” he added.
On reports that the country has reached stage III, the chief minister said that from Meghalaya’s point of view in the last one week in terms of testing results that have come in, the state has seen that the trend is not in the direction of increase as of now.
Informing that the spread has been quite limited and quite contained, he said, “It is a positive news for all of us, but again we will have to see how the next few days go and depending on the results we will able to say about the situation”.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the number of samples sent for testing was 1109 and the number of persons tested negative is 1000 while 97 test results are awaited.
He said the first target is to test the close contacts or the primary contacts and then the secondary contacts.
He added that the number of positive case remains the same, 12 (11 active and 1 deceased).
Talking about challenges the state government is faced with, the chief minister said the challenge for Meghalaya or the country as a whole is to see how to balance between the lockdown, containment and economic livelihood that people have to slowly move towards.
Tynsong said that 25 ambulances purchased by the state government have reached Shillong and the 108 service has been handed the charge to run the ambulances.
He said the cost of the ambulances is over Rs 4 crore.
