NONGPOH: The Deputy Commissioner of Ri Bhoi, RM Kurbah, on Monday, removed the containment zone tag from eight villages in the district.
The villages — Umsamlem, Rongpharkong, Umnget, Quinine, Ampata, Umshru, Sukunijira and Halher — were earlier declared as containment zones on account of discovery of positive cases in and around the areas.
On June 9, the DC had put containment zone tags on Umsamlem, Rongpharkong, Umnget and Quinine after an elderly man from one of the villages tested positive for COVID-19.
On Sunday evening, Ampata, Umshru, Sukunijira and Halher were declared as containment zones after an aged woman tested positive for the virus.
The woman is being treated in Assam.
Asked why the containment zone tag was lifted from these villages, the DC said, “The people at large faced huge difficulties. Therefore, we have decided that only those affected households should be contained”.
In the latest order, the DC has asked the households of Umsamlem area identified by the district administration including Rongpharkong, Umnget and Quinine to be in home quarantine for a period of 14 days (till June 22).
Meanwhile, for households in Ampata, Umshru, Sukunijira and Halher, rigorous home quarantine was advised till June 28.
In this regard, the respective headmen have been provided with the list of families for quarantine.
The residents have been asked to strictly maintain social distancing of at least six feet along with adherence to other health protocols.
