NEW DELHI: Health & Family Welfare Minister, AL Hek has attributed the state’s relative success in the battle against COVID-19 to the prompt action taken by the government.
“Even before the novel coronavirus hit the state we had plans in place to deal with it in the worst case scenario and were prepared,” he told The Shillong Times here on Thursday.
Despite being a transit state adjoining worst-affected Assam in the North East and sharing border with Bangladesh, Meghalaya has the highest revival rate in the country at around 90 per cent.
The state government did not allow any laxity as far as precautionary measures against the pandemic were concerned, Hek, who himself supervised the fight against the virus in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills, said adding this proactive approach of the government has paid off.
The hill state is a known transit state with both domestic and international tourists, Hek said.
“We had a large number of migrant workers, students and others coming from outside the state and some people were also evacuated from Bangladesh through our borders,” he said adding “But we kept strong vigil which paid off.”
There are states in the North East which had remained COVID-19 free for some time, Hek admitted. But these states are isolated from the mainland unlike Meghalaya, he added.
