COVID surge: Tynsong rules out fresh lockdown

SHILLONG, Aug 4: In his first reaction since assuming charge of the Health Department, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has ruled out fresh lockdown but said discussions would be held soon for new sets of restrictions and strategies to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infections.
The positivity graph in the state has been climbing.
“The question of lockdown does not arise. I appeal to the citizens of the state is to take care and get vaccinated as the situation is very grim,” Tynsong told reporters on Wednesday.
“The situation is very alarming as the cases have been increasing since last month. The number of cases on a given day is 580-590 and even the death percentage is around 10 every day,” he said.
A major cause for concern for the state government is the delta variant of the virus that has been spreading very fast, he added.
The Health minister said he would review the situation with the officials concerned to discuss the measures for minimising infections.
The Centre had recently red-flagged the rising COVID-19 cases in Kerala and some north-eastern states. The situation is particularly worrying in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, warranting containment measures under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The Centre is waiting for a report from the teams of the National Centre for Disease Control that have been tasked with gauging how these states are tackling the detection and the care of their COVID-19 patients.
The Centre feels the virus may spread to adjoining states if the states with higher rates of infection do not impose strict measures to prevent people from intermingling. The Centre is also worried that the COVID spread, if unchecked, could lead to mutation and affect the ongoing vaccination programme.