SHILLONG, April 18: The death toll in Meghalaya due to COVID-19 rose to 153 on Sunday while another 73 fresh cases were detected, taking to number of active cases to 680.
DHS (MI), Dr. Aman Warr informed today that Mebilda Bareh (74), a resident of Mawlai Nongkwar, who was tested positive at Dr H. Gordon Roberts Hospital on April 7, expired on April 16. The cause of death was due to COVID-19 pneumonia with acute respiratory syndrome.
Out of the 73 new positive cases, 36 were detected in East Khasi Hills, 12 each in Ri Bhoi and West Jaintia Hills, five in West Garo Hills, three in West Khasi Hills, two each in South West Khasi Hills and East Jaintia Hills and one in East Garo Hills. The state also recorded 41 recoveries on Sunday including 40 in East Khasi Hills and one in East Jaintia Hills. The total number of recoveries stands at 14,038.
Out of the 680 active cases in the state, 470 are in East Khasi Hills, 109 in West Jaintia Hills, 45 in Ri Bhoi, 17 in East Jaintia Hills, 18 West Khasi Hills, 13 in West Garo Hills, six in South West Khasi Hills and one each in East Garo Hills and North Garo Hills.
Meanwhile, District Council judge, Dr S. Kharsyiemlieh was tested positive for COVID-19 after which the District Council Court issued an advisory requesting lawyers and litigants who recently came in contact either with the said Judge or his Magisterial staffs to come forward and provide their details for contact tracing and to practice self-isolation for five days from April 16 and to follow the protocols as prescribed by the Health department.
The District Council Court, Shillong will remain suspended on Monday for sanitisation purpose except for police papers (remand).
Darrang-Dawki now a hotspot
The Darrang-Dawki area in West Jaintia Hills has turned into a COVID hotspot with 92 persons testing positive so far in connection) with the index case of a woman from Ri Bhoi who had attended a funeral at Darrang village.
Out of the 92 positive cases, 44 were detected in Darrang, 20 in Bakur, 15 in Shnongpdeng and 14 in Dawki.
A senior Health official informed that they had initially detected 13 positive cases among those who had attended the funeral at Darrang.
According to the official, more positive cases are likely to emerge since contact tracing is still going on.
The official further informed that Shnongpdeng, Darrang, Kongwang, Bakur and Dawki will continue to be under containment since the contact tracing is yet to be completed.
Meanwhile, KSU War Jaintia Circle and FKJGP War Jaintia Circle have expressed strong resentment over the decision of the West Jaintia Hills district administration to declare some villages as ‘containment zones’ while allowing export activities to continue through the Land Customs Station.
According to the two pressure groups, the government should review its containment zone decision by taking into consideration the difficulties faced by the masses especially the daily labourers.
The pressure groups also endorsed the statement of the president, ka Synjuk Rangbah Shnong, who had demanded that export activities to Bangladesh should be closed temporarily until the situation improves.
They also suggested that the government should consider the option of declaring micro-containment zones in affected areas instead of shutting down the whole village.