SHILLONG/MAWKYRWAT: The health department is set to initiate action against the pharmacist of Shillong Civil Hospital for violating the quarantine rules.
The pharmacist tested positive for COVID-19.
Director of Health Services (MI), Dr Aman War said the pharmacist was kept in one of quarantine centres of the government while he was waiting for his rest reports.
However, the pharmacist had left the quarantine centre on Tuesday to drop his wife who was working at the Rangthong PHC in South West Khasi Hills without informing anyone.
He was supposed to complete his quarantine on August 5.
“The pharmacist had also visited one of the ATMs at Mawkyrwat. After returning from Mawkyrwat, he had visited some other places and we are doing the contact tracing now,’ War said.
He went back to the quarantine centre without informing anyone that he had visited Rangthong.
The quarantine centre, which the government had put up for the health workers, is a hotel.
“The concerned pharmacist was tested positive as per the test report and now he has been shifted to the corona care centre,” Dr War said.
Dr War also said all the staff of the Rangthong PHC are under quarantine and they will be tested by rapid antigen kit.
“If the wife is negative, then everyone working in Rangthong PHC is safe,” he said.
The DHS (MI) said that they will decide on the action which needs to be taken against the concerned pharmacist after his recovery.
Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of South West Khasi Hills, Isawanda Laloo had directed all the staff of Rangthong PHC, who were present at the centre on August 4, to undergo home quarantine immediately and await instructions for testing from the District Surveillance Officer.
Similarly, members of the public who visited the PHC on August 4 and 5 have been directed to quarantine themselves at home and call up the District Control Room for further instructions.
Laloo also appealed to the people of the district to remain calm because till date, there has been no positive case in the district and the health department had also identified the primary contacts, secondary contacts and even the people who visited Rangthong PHC.
As many people fear that Mawkyrwat area and parts of South West Khasi Hills district may come under lockdown, the DC said, “Just because of this incident, it does not mean that Mawkyrwat area and the district as whole will be under lockdown. Lockdown or containment zone will be declared only if there are some cases from the same area. Therefore, people should not be afraid or panic because till now South West Khasi Hills remained a COVID-19 free district”.
The DC has also informed that the patient from East Khasi Hills, who had visited Rangthong PHC, had also gone to the shop of Mebi K. Wanniang, residence cum shop of Krillin Lyngdoh and the SBI ATM at Mawkyrwat market on August 4 from 5 pm along with his wife.
The DC also ordered closure of these shops till further notice.
According to his wife, the person tested negative twice, but he did not wait for the result of the third test which is positive. “He has been tested again because there are many times we get false positive cases also and the result may be out on Saturday,” sources said.
