SHILLONG: Impressed with the way the state has handled COVID-19, Surveillance Medical Officer of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr N Roy, believes that the country can learn from it how the community can deal with the pandemic while saying that all have to now learn to live with the virus.
“Meghalaya has given a lesson to India on how the community can deal with these cases,” he said while pointing out that the state has the lowest number of positive cases.
Roy was replying to a question on his assessment of the state’s handling of the COVID-19 situation during a press briefing of the DHS, Dr Aman War, which he attended, on Tuesday.
The WHO official said that the COVID management teams were effective both in urban and rural areas. He said the state has realised the importance of “community ownership” which now needs to be taken forward and every individual has to take care of self-health.
It may be mentioned that there are over 7,000 COVID community committees spread across the state.
Roy said initially it was about testing and quarantining people, but now the focus is more on training, self-awareness and self-help.
Giving a piece of advice for people to follow, Roy said,” Life before COVID and life after COVID are very different chapters and there are five very important steps that we need to follow”.
According to him, the five steps include hand hygiene, covering nose and mouth at all times in public places, maintaining distance of at least two metres or six feet and avoiding touching the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
