SHILLONG: On Saturday Meghalaya breached the 500-mark in COVID active cases with 54 new cases reported up to 1 PM. But that’s not the worrying part. The real cause of alarm is the fact that as high as 48 out of the 54 cases were reported from the community — by far the highest so far. The remaining six cases were accounted for by BSF.
The spread in the community is now a stark reality. The fear is that an unlimited number of people might have been already infected and became secondary carriers of the virus. With three front-line doctors testing positive and one momo vendor succumbing to infection, the magnitude of the spread can only be imagined.
Expectedly, the government is not leaving anything to chances. It has gone all out to contain the spread by micro-management strategies. On Friday, 23 localities of greater Shillong were notified as containment zones and sealed, on Saturday six more localities were labelled as containment zones raising the figure to 29.
During the day, all the notified areas wore an eerie silence as the stunned community were unable to come to terms with their worst nightmare.
Few ventured out of their homes and shops remained closed, while vehicles and pedestrian movement were disallowed. Exceptions were essential services.
As reports of new positive cases began to tumble out from different localities, the administration lost no time to bring those areas under localised lockdown. Official announcements over PA system late at night seemed to add to the tizzy all around.
Six more containment zones
The state government has declared six more locations in the city as containment zones after more positive cases were detected in these areas.
With this, there are a total of 29 areas under complete restriction after 23 locations were declared as containment zones on Friday.
The newly declared areas are Nongsohphoh under Upper Mawprem, Block II under Golflinks Khliehshnong, house of Gentina Lyngdoh under Golflinks Mawpun, Maxwelton estate starting from Harrison bridge from right side road going to Rilbong up to Meghna Marak building near Arts and Culture building, left side Captain Clifford road upto JN Bawri house and Mawpat Block I & III.
The high risk and low risk contacts of the COVID-19 patients became new positive cases from these areas after tests.
During the containment period, the health workers will carry out aggressive contact tracing, quarantine, testing and isolation in the vulnerable and affected areas in the interest of the health of the people against any possible spread of COVID-19.
The district magistrate said the aim is also to restrict unregulated entry and exit movement.
The order states that no person and public are allowed to move into these containment areas and inhabitants within the containment areas are also not allowed to move out, besides, all inhabitants within the containment areas must strictly remain inside their homes.
Gatherings, events, functions whatsoever of any nature and forms including social, political, religious and economic activities are not allowed.
All shopping establishments will be closed immediately and supply of essential and medical requirements for purchase will be done through various teams formed by the district administration.
All government and private institutions located within the boundary of the containment areas will remain closed till further orders.
According to the order, the concerned Incident Commanders will be the supervising officers of these containment areas.
The order, however, will not apply to health workers and essential workers of Shillong Municipal Board, press including electronic and print media and petrol pumps.
The order also states that any violation will entail prosecution under the penal provision of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and IPC.
Soaring cases
Of the 59 cases reported on Saturday — 50-plus for the second day running — 54 are from East Khasi Hills of whom six are from BSF besides 48 others.
The 54 include 41 people, who are contacts of positive persons, while 13 are returnees.
East Jaintia Hills reported four cases and West Jaintia Hills one.
All the four cases in East Jaintia Hills involve police personnel, who are contacts of the police personnel, who had come from Garo Hills and tested positive, while the person testing positive in West Jaintia Hills is a returnee from Guwahati.
Twenty people from Mawpat Circle 1 and 3, who are the contacts of a positive case from NEIGRIHMS, tested positive.
Two persons from Jaiaw, who were working in one of the quarantine centres, also tested positive on Saturday besides two others from Lower Nongrim Hills, who were the contacts of a positive tourist taxi driver.
One person from Mawlai, who is a contact of the staff nurse of NEIGRIHMS, tested positive while four staff from Mawtawar Sub Centre, who were in contact with a positive case from NEIGRIHMS, also tested positive.
A 13-year-old child, who was among the people who returned here after attending a wedding in Bihar, tested positive and is undergoing treatment in Shillong Civil Hospital.
Five people from Lummawrie, who are the contacts of the geologist who recently fell prey to the virus, also tested positive. Three persons each from Nongmensong, Pynthorumkhrah and Mawbah-Upper Mawprem, who are returnees from Assam and Bihar, have also tested positive.
In addition, two people from Sawlad and Happy Valley, who are returnees from Guwahati tested positive while two more persons from Laitumkhrah and Oxford Laban, who are also returnees from Guwahati, tested positive.
With the surge, the state has now 547 active cases.
East Khasi Hills has the majority of active cases of 466 (BSF-259, others-159 and Armed Forces-21).
Ri Bhoi district has 41 active cases, West Jaintia Hills has nine, East Jaintia Hills has eight, West Garo Hills has 15, South West Garo Hills has four, South Garo Hills has two while East Garo Hills and North Garo Hills have one case each.
The number of recovered persons in the state has increased to 94 with seven more recovering on Saturday.