SHILLONG, May 13: The Meghalaya government on Thursday decided to extend the lockdown in East Khasi Hills from 5am of May 17 to 5am of May 24.
The decision was made at a review meeting, which Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma chaired, after the state registered an all-time single-day high of 591 cases and 18 deaths due to COVID-19.
Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong told reporters the state government discussed threadbare the prevailing situation.
“We have decided to extend the period of lockdown in East Khasi Hills till 5am of May 24. It was supposed to end at 5am of May 17,” Tynsong said, adding, “The government had no option but to extend it for the safety of the citizens in the state.”
A source, who attended the meeting, said there was a discussion on imposing curfew or total lockdown to break the transmission chain. However, it was decided that the government would wait for a few more days. The reason was the vaccination drive for people aged 18-44 years, scheduled from May 14-17.
“If the situation does not improve by then, the government will have to impose curfew for at least a week to break the transmission chain,” the source added.
The lockdown in East Khasi Hills, which is the worst-affected district in the state, was initially imposed from May 5 to May 10 and later, extended to May 17.
Earlier, the government had imposed containment measures in Shillong Urban Agglomeration, Jowai and Tura from May 1. Weekend lockdowns have been imposed in other districts.
