TURA: North Garo Hills authorities have declared the Mendipathar market a containment zone for three days, beginning Sunday, after a hardware store owner along with his wife and son tested positive for COVID-19.
Mendipathar market, which is the biggest market in the district, lies on the border with Assam and keeping a regular tab on entry-exit of people poses a challenge to authorities, especially given that shops are located on either side of the two state borders.
It may be mentioned that the people from North Garo Hills throng the Mendipathar market on an everyday basis to purchase goods.
Meanwhile, medical screening of all the shopkeepers and residents of the bazaar has been slated for Monday.
Residents in adjoining areas of Assam, who happen to have shops on the Meghalaya side, have also been directed to undergo medical screening along with their family members.
Funeral of COVID-19 victim from GH
Meanwhile, the cremation of 50-year-old man from Anandamath area of Tura, who passed away on Friday night due to COVID-19, was conducted successfully sans any stumbling block.
It was last month that the cremation of the first COVID-19 victim from Garo Hills was opposed by the locals who had blocked the road to the cremation ground and refused to allow the funeral despite authorities clarifying that there was no danger of infection from the funeral rites. The body of the first victim had to be eventually taken all the way to distant Tikrikilla for the funeral.
This time, however, the cremation was carried out by the victim’s relatives in the presence of health surveillance teams and district officials without any obstruction from the locals.
Meanwhile West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh, has said that the cause of the 50-year-old man’s death was Hypoxic Encephalopathy.
The deceased was admitted to the hospital on the September 17 due to respiratory issues.
An RT-PCR test was conducted following which he was found positive for the virus.
