SHILLONG, May 9: As the COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of plummeting, NEIGRIHMS Director Dr P Bhattacharya has advised the state government to strictly implement the standard operating procedure (SOP) of wearing mask, maintaining social distancing and hand-washing.
He believed the number of the cases will fall by at least 10 per cent if everyone wears a mask. He backed measures like containment and lockdown but said they should not be as harsh as last year.
“We see people walking on the road without wearing a mask and the administration says nothing,” Dr Bhattacharya said.
He said the administration becomes active only on those days when the magistrates are supposed to check. He said the situation is the worst in villages as nobody there wears a mask.
Asking the government to be serious in as far as the implementation of the SOP is concerned, he said the administration usually lets off a violator on the grounds that he is poor.
“If somebody is poor, put him in jail for a few hours but don’t allow people to play with the lives of others,” Dr Bhattacharya said.
Senior Congress legislator, Charles Pyngrope said avoiding physical contact by staying at home is the only way out.
“The situation at the moment is precarious. The second wave has put the state on the back foot. I appeal to people to engage themselves in measures that will help contain the spread of the virus,” the former Assembly Speaker said.
It is really sad that health workers, right from doctors, nurses, staff nurses, frontline workers and ASHA, have been stretched to the limit. Any additional work put on them will affect them badly, he said.
“This is not a time for blame game. If we fail as citizens to respond to the call of the government to remain indoors, then we are going to face an unfortunate situation,” Pyngrope warned. He urged the citizens, aged 18-44 years, to enroll themselves for vaccination.
“I have taken both doses. I did not have any problem. We must come forward to get ourselves vaccinated and not succumb to the rumours about ill effects. People should have confidence in the vaccine since only it can protect us,” Pyngrope said.
He observed that the government in the past one year has learnt how to deal with the COVID-19 situation.
