Community participation helped contain COVID: CM

SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has placed the credit of Meghalaya being able to contain the spread of COVID-19 so far on community participation, maintaining that behavioral change is the key to check the pandemic and this aspect was given due importance in the state from an early stage.
Appearing in SwasthyaMantra telethon on NDTV, Sangma said early response and community participation have been important factors in ensuring that the spread of COVID-19 has been checked in the state till now.
He said Meghalaya had prepared for the situation about two weeks before the nationwide lockdown was announced at the end of March, and this early response has played a crucial role.
Highlighting the role of the community, Sangma said, “We also had a very strong movement at the community level, and I think the community participation was most probably the biggest strength for us”
He added that over 10,000 community management teams were formed at various levels.
At the government-level, thorough processes in terms of testing and other kinds of filtration were ensured, the chief minister said, adding, “These initial steps have helped us to control it.
Sounding a word of caution, Sangma said the challenge is far from over and added, “The options in front of us are limited. How long can we remain closed like this?”
“At end of the day, what is important and has been emerging in our state is that behavioral change is going to be the key,” he said, adding that work on ensuring that people  wear masks and maintain social distancing had started from the early stages of the pandemic itself.
“That aspect has helped us. Challenge is there for all, but the help of community and frontline workers has enabled us to contain it to some extent,” Sangma added.
The ‘Big B’ fan in the chief minister also came to fore in the show when he expressed his delight at sharing screen space with the actor and said that he has watched blockbuster movie of Bachchan ‘Sholay’ 300 times, drawing gratitude from the actor.
The 12-hour-long SwasthyaMantra, helmed by NDTV’s Prannoy Roy and campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, is in its seventh year, which talks about and promotes the need for a clean and healthy India through Banega Swachh-Swasth India campaign.