SHILLONG, March 17: Meghalaya and its capital Shillong is today breathing easy as far as the number of active COVID-19 cases is concerned but around a year ago, the situation was different in March though Meghalaya did not have any positive COVID cases till then.
However, by this time last year, the COVID-19 situation was getting from bad to worse throughout the country and even neighbouring Assam had started to bear the brunt of the pandemic.
A year later, Meghalaya is placed comfortably as there are only 30 active cases in the state right now. But what is alarming is the fact that COVID cases are on the surge once again in other parts of the country.
Last year on March 17, the state government ordered closure of all educational institutes in view of COVID cases being reported in Assam. Once Meghalaya reported its first positive case on April 13, the state saw a long and arduous with COVID-19 which took a toll on people from all backgrounds as the livelihood of the people was largely affected while students were also adversely impacted due to the pandemic.
The attention of the government was entirely focused on the pandemic while other developmental programmes took a back seat.
National Health Mission Director Ramkumar S, who was at the helm of affairs during the pandemic, said that for him it was a terrific experience in all senses.
“It was a great learning experience which gave us the opportunity to be in the midst of a historical pandemic. It was sad that lives and livelihood were lost but we have come out stronger as a community and as a nation,” he said.
He however, maintained that the pandemic is far from over and with the rise in cases in other states people should not let their guards down.
He also informed that studies have shown that wearing masks and maintaining hand hygiene can significantly prevent the spread of the virus and hence people should continue to do it while actively engaging in getting vaccinated.
“We can achieve herd immunity only through vaccination,” he added.
Michael Kharsyntiew, a social worker who distributed essential commodities and provided necessary assistance to people in need during the pandemic, said that it was a life touching moment for him and his team as they are in the hospitality sector specializing in hospital diets.
“We knew facing such a global pandemic was a challenging time for our state. So we came out to the streets to lend our helping hand by distributing food packets and dry rations to people most affected during the pandemic like hawkers, homeless people, street children, daily labourers, orphans, medical staffs on the road and others,” he said.
He remembered the day when he received multiple distress calls from medical friends from Bethany Hospital on the first day that it was sealed and he remembers being requested to provide food packets on the street leading to the hospital on that fateful morning when Dr Sailo breathed his last.
“One year down the line we realise that the fight is far from over but the resilience and fighting spirit that our state has shown in this time of crisis is truly commendable and exemplary,” he said.
An MCS officer, Ronnie Wahlang, who was deputed as magistrate in the city during the pandemic recalled, “It was one of the most trying times as nothing was certain and knowledge on the virus was pretty much unavailable. The pandemic has helped me to imbibe qualities of resilience, empathy and coordination.”