Irate residents protest prolonged confinement

SHILLONG: In a first in the state, the residents of Mawbah locality, staged a placard demonstration here on Saturday to express their exasperation at the delay in lifting COVID restrictions paralysing the normal life.
The area was notified as containment zone on July 24 last, along with a number of other localities. While most other areas have seen withdrawal of restrictions, Mawbah has not been so fortunate.
The residents have complained that they were passing their days in extreme hardship, because all income sources have dried up and shortage essentials had become acute.
Quite a number of residents from a compound which is a containment area protested with placards and banners asking authorities to withdraw the containment area.
One placard  read, “ We are still in containment zone after completing the period of  14 days. Today is  17th day, Why? Another placard read, “ More  than  2000 population are suffering from shortage of food, baby food and  medicines.”
DHS (MI) Dr Aman War refused to entertain any idea of lifting the restrictions saying that it is the authority which would decide on the lifting of the containment area and not the people of the  containment area.
He further said there was an official process for lifting of containment zone tag. “ First Rangbah Shnong  will have to be taken into confidence and   after all contact tracing tests prove negative, health department will take a call.  “It is not that if a house was contained for 15  days, containment should be lifted,” he clarified.
He said that if any place has been contained for 20-25  days, there must  be a reason for that even as he added that in any area, if the authorities find that there is no threat they would even lift the containment area in  three days.