Positivity rate to dictate lockdown: Conrad

SHILLONG, June 3: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the state government will take a call on the lockdown after weighing the rates of positivity and hospitalisation as well as the recovery trend.
East Khasi Hills and a few other districts have been experiencing partial to total lockdown for over a month now.
“The numbers are coming down and it’s a positive indication, but it does not mean we would lower our guard. The government will review the COVID situation in a day or two and take a call on the lockdown,” he said.
Livelihoods have been affected by the lockdown but the government does not seem to be in a mood to provide any financial assistance owing to the financial position of the state.
“It is an issue which has been examined and as a government, we realise that we need to support people. But it is not easy as any assistance has to be provided on a large scale and the entire country is facing financial challenges,” the chief minister said.
The government has tried to support people wherever possible through the MLAs, Special Rural Works Programme and by tweaking the MHIS to ensure the patients get some relief from hospital expenditure and the families of the COVID deceased get ex-gratia, he added.
Sangma said unlike the complete lockdown of 2020, the government tried to minimise the economic impact of the restrictions on the people with a selective approach.
“It is not easy for the people and it not easy for the government as well,” he said.
On the shortage of vaccines in the state, the chief minister hoped the Centre would ramp up production and allocation. “There should be a marginal increase in the number of doses this month and we are confident of more by July,” he said.