TURA, Dec 8: Churches of various denominations from Tura Town have raised the need for people to strictly comply with the Covid-19 protocols issued by the government during the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations to ensure that the pandemic situation does not surge.
The issue was raised during the meeting called by the District Administration at DRDA Hall in Tura to get the views and opinions of all stakeholders especially Church and community leaders so that a decision can be taken to celebrate the festival safely and minimise the risk of Covid-19 infections.
Speaking during the meeting, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh informed that the meeting was called at the behest of the Chief Secretary who is also the Chairman of the State Disaster Management Authority to discuss measures to be taken to ensure that the festival is celebrated safely given that the Covid-19 situation is likely to surge as the virus is known to mutate more in cold weather. Ram Singh pointed out that the consensus for standard procedure was required more so due to the fact that the celebration in Garo Hills was unique with the practice of community feasts, people gathering in large numbers at pandals and engaging in Songkritan dances.
A strong warning was also given by the Deputy Commissioner for those indulging in drunken driving during the festivals that random tests would be carried out on them and those testing positive would be sent to quarantine centres. The DC however assured that nobody would be harassed unnecessarily.
West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Dr M G R Kumar informed that the police department would step up patrolling in the days to come especially in Tura to prevent untoward incidents like accidents and street brawls under the influence of alcohol. Kumar also urged community leaders to monitor social menaces and report such incidents to police control room number-8837423053 and helpline number-100.