SHILLONG: The COVID testing centre at Polo lacks proper arrangements as very often returnees and city residents, who are sent for testing, mingle with each other which poses health risk.
A few local residents of a containment zone, who went for testing at Polo, informed that there was no separate queue for the returnees from outside the state.
“We do not know why the authorities have not made separate arrangements for the returnees and the local residents from the containment zones as mixing of people will be dangerous since we do not know who are the carriers of the virus”, a local resident said.
Another concern is that there is no separate queue for the senior citizens and children. There are also no sitting arrangements for them as they wait for the call for tests. Besides, even after the tests, they have to wait for long to get the results.
A relative of a senior citizen said that in the absence of any resting place, the senior citizens and children are finding it difficult to stand in queue for several hours.
Before the local residents of containment zones are taken for testing at Polo, there have been instances of undue delay of at least a fortnight in carrying out tests and prolonged waiting only adds to the agony of the residents, sources said.
When contacted, the Commissioner and Secretary in–charge health, Sampath Kumar said he would look into the issue.