SHILLONG, April 7: With a second wave of COVID-19 gripping the country, the Meghalaya Government has recreated the individual behavior change management protocol besides re-activating the behavior change management committees, while requesting citizens to strictly adhere to SOPs and protocols.
Commissioner and Secretary, Health Department, Sampath Kumar said on Wednesday that the state has 108 active COVID patients most of whom are returnees from high-risk zones.
The state government has stepped up entry protocols and returnees from 11 states, which have been reporting large number of cases, are being asked to provide RTPCR negative certificate before entering the state, Kumar said, adding that the government is planning to extend the protocol to returnees from all other states.
Asking people to adhere to all the SOPs and protocols, he said that the government has decided to accelerate the vaccination drive, especially for those people who are susceptible to COVID-19.
In addition, the government is also going to focus on the two urban pockets of the state — Shillong and Tura — which have reported the maximum number of active cases.
On Wednesday, a total of 1,155 doses were administered in the state. 33,021 frontline workers have received the first dose while 19,504 have received the second dose. 37,197 citizens have been given the first dose while 1,775 have received the second dose. So far, 36,704 persons have been administered both doses of vaccine in the state.
Penalty for ‘Covidiots’
The Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills, Isawanda Laloo, on Wednesday, warned the public that penalty will be imposed on those not wearing masks, especially in commercial areas.
The DC has directed all vendors, shopkeepers and general public to wear masks at all time and avoid gathering in a cluster near the areas.
“People are advised to frequently wash their hands with soap and water or use hand sanitisers. Number of customers inside the shop should be kept at a minimum,” the DC said in the advisory.
“As the number of positive cases has gone up in all states across the country in the last couple of weeks, and as some states have even imposed a lockdown, all citizens are requested to strictly adhere to all the required protocols in order to prevent an increase in the number of cases in Shillong, and the state as a whole,” the advisory stated.