MAWKYRWAT, July 28: Asserting that COVID-19 is here to stay and lockdown cannot be extended indefinitely, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has pitched for vaccination as the only way to normalcy.
“People are dying,” Sangma said, pointing out that COVID has disrupted everything, from life to governance and implementation of projects.
The chief minister made the statement during an interactive meeting with community leaders in Mawkyrwat, South West Khasi Hills District on Wednesday.
He also inspected the construction of the 100-bed hospital at Mawkyrwat.
“In the last one and half years, we have not been able to take on development works that we had planned. We could not take up any new project. You have not been able to live your normal life; agriculture and MGNREGS works have stopped and people have suffered due to loss of income,” Sangma told the gathering.
“COVID will not go away today or tomorrow or next month. It might just make a comeback in six months. Therefore, we need to adapt and accept the fact that COVID is here; you must accept it because the reality is that people are dying. There are thousands of unlucky people who have contacted the virus and in 7-8 days they just died,” the CM said, while underlying the danger posed by the virus.
Admitting that the death rate was less due to the lockdown, Sangma made it clear that the government cannot continue with the lockdown. He said that the only way to bring back normalcy in the state is to get all the eligible citizens vaccinated because data and figures have shown that vaccines save lives.
“People who have been vaccinated may test positive, but the illness is not serious and only a few of them have died,” he added.
Later, the chief minister paid a visit to Sakwang village and handed over an ex gratia of Rs 50,000 to the family of a COVID victim who is survived by nine children, the youngest of them being only 15 days old.
Sangma along with PHE Minister and local MLA, Renikton L Tongkhar and other government officials also inspected the much-awaited 100-bed hospital at Mawkyrwat and took stock of the ongoing construction of the proposed oxygen plant.