SHILLONG, May 19: Former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Wednesday said the imposition of lockdown will help arrest the speed of contagion and gain more time to prepare.
“We will have to look to ensure we are not wasting any precious time. Today, what we see is that we had wasted time and we should learn from this past mistake,” he said when asked if the government was too late in enforcing the lockdown in East Khasi Hills, specifically Shillong.
“Breaking the transmission chain will give you scope to minimise the number of cases and this will help bring down the number of deaths. This time must be utilised for comprehensive preparation. A stitch in time saves nine,” Sangma said.
“We must be able to save every single life. We have lost quite a substantial number of precious lives in the past few weeks. If we are not able to save lives then we would understand the pain associated with it,” the Leader of Opposition said.
Sangma stressed the need to have a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach in the fight against the pandemic.
“No measure in isolation is going to help. There is a need to have a complete strategy as if we are going to war. There are innumerable things required to be worked outright from the minute details of the information pertaining to this infectious virus,” he told reporters after a review meeting convened by Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the state.
The former chief minister urged the government to take serious note of the views, suggestions and concerns expressed either by elected representatives or any member of civil society.
According to him, the government should not take suggestions for appropriate course correction as a blame game.
Sangma said the present pandemic has bigger challenges since the density of population and mobility of the people is high compared to the past century.
“As we move forward, our priority should be to minimise the loss of life, the suffering, the crippling effect on the society and individuals and even to the families,” he said.
He was also of the view that the pandemic would leave behind a trail of miseries, suffering and pain.
Sangma rued that some people presumed the pandemic was over with a few even declaring that they emerged victorious in the war against the virus.
He said there could be a third or fourth wave since viruses tend to mutate with certain elements of surprise. “We have to prepare to face any kind of situation since we don’t know how fast the third wave is going to come,” he added.
Mukul against home isolation of COVID patients
Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma on Wednesday made it clear that he was against the idea of keeping COVID-19 patients under home isolation.
“If somebody has contracted the virus and is under home isolation there is bound to be a situation where the patient will transmit the virus to others,” Sangma, a qualified physician, said while adding that people who have contracted the virus should be kept under surveillance.
Keeping COVID-19 patient in close proximity to others will lead to unanticipated spike in cases.
“This is exactly what has happened in Maharashtra and Delhi. We should have learnt from these states and ensured that such things do not happen in our state,” he said.
On the issue of the Dorbar Shnong or the community taking care of COVID-19 patients, the former chief minister said it has to be properly formatted.
“Before such a mechanism is put in place it has to be properly examined from the scientific perspective,” he said, adding, “We also have to ensure that it can be appropriately implemented so as to contain further spread of the virus.”
He also suggested that the government should identify suitable sites like multi-facility centres, school buildings and hostels which are not in use and convert them into isolation care centres for COVID patients.
