SHILLONG, May 3: The Meghalaya government is reluctant to impose total lockdown in Shillong despite a surge in the COVID-19 cases.
The containment measures in place since May 1 have failed to slow down the rate of infection in the state, but Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said lockdown is not an option.
“We are reviewing the situation on a daily basis,” he said.
He requested all the citizens to ensure that they don’t get the infection by following all the protocols of wearing masks and maintaining social distance.
This followed reports that the authorities were not strictly checking the movement of people except for stopping vehicles at some places.
Tynsong said the people have by and large responded positively to the containment measures. The few who defy such measures increase the possibility of spreading the virus, he added while declining to say what measures would be taken after the 10-day containment period ends.
Traders have been wary of a long lockdown, which they said would affect their livelihood.
Asked if the hospitals in the city have enough beds to accommodate the increasing number of COVID-19 patients, the Deputy Chief Minister said the situation is still manageable. He also said the state has adequate space for burial or cremation of people who succumb to the novel coronavirus.
Tynsong also said the deputy commissioners have been authorised to take necessary steps in their respective districts to check infections without having to wait for the state government’s instructions.
