SHILLONG: On a day when Chief Minister Conrad Sangma requested citizens through twitter to refrain from creating panic and circulating/forwarding unverified information, critics have pointed fingers at the government for lack of clarity in disseminating information on COVID cases.
In response to the chief minister’s tweet that he had instructed officials during the meeting on Thursday to take stringent action against such individuals, Noel Lyngdoh said, “Be more specific with tweets, reports to news channel. Fill them up with facts. Be more transparent as to the who, why, where, how. The spread of fake news will be easily curbed”.
Andrew WL pointed out in his tweet that the tweets on COVID cases by the chief minister have always left room for speculation. “Speculation leads to fake narratives. Can’t blame people if they aren’t fed with proper info. Take a cue from NEIGRIHMS on how to disseminate info on COVID cases”, he said.
Another social media post said, “Mr. Chief Minister, the tweets on your page are vague. ‘One person, two persons, another person returning from so and so, total, they are under quarantine’ and so on. Please be specific. Where, when, how, who? Alert the people, tell us facts. Enlighten the people about the virus. Is it mutating? What is high risk contact? What is community transmission? Tell the people. Call medical experts; let them talk and explain about it. Many are still ignorant about the danger, risk of COVID-19. People are moving around freely and we are exposed. The government downplayed everything right from the start. We need to know the truth, and that we want to hear from you. Before things go from bad to worse, be transparent. Alert us with facts to prevent further spread”.
A few residents, who do not wish to be quoted, said that other Northeastern states, especially Assam, Tripura and Mizoram are examples for providing proper information to the residents on COVID cases.
