No Lockdown in Meghalaya for now: Dy CM Prestone Tynsong

Meghalaya deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong ruled out any possibility of a lockdown in the state following the detection of five OMICRON cases in the state. The Meghalaya deputy chief minister added that imposing a lockdown would be the last resort as economic activities in the state have suffered a lot during the past two waves of the pandemic.

Tynsong allayed apprehensions over the severity of the new Omicron variant and said that those infected are doing well. Besides, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the state is equipped with adequate infrastructure to handle things if there is an outbreak of a much worried third wave.

Briefing media, Tynsong said that people need not panic and must diligently follow all the SOPs laid down by the government for the safety and security of the people.

It may be mentioned, while 3 cases were detected in East Khasi Hills, two cases were confirmed in Ri-Bhoi.

As per reports, the first case detected in East Khasi Hills is a 31-year-old returnee from the United States who is currently in home isolation at Happy Valley. She was inoculated with the Moderna vaccine. Another patient, a 44-year-old nun working at the Nazareth Hospital, had recently returned from New Delhi. She had been vaccinated with Covishield and is in home isolation.

The third case is a 13-year-old resident of Assam who had registered for entry at the Umling entry point and had been tested for COVID-19 there.

Meanwhile, 2 patients from the Saiden area in Ri-Bhoi, whose samples were tested positive for the Omicron variant, have no travel history. The two women, aged 53 and 46 years, are also under home isolation, officials said. There is no record of their vaccination as of now.

This is the biggest detection of Omicron cases at one go in the Northeast. The lone case reported from the region so far is the one from Manipur where a Tanzania returnee had tested positive earlier last month.

It may be mentioned that only on Monday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had announced the re-imposition of restrictions in the state including night curfew and ban on mass gatherings. Odd-even formula for private vehicles is also being introduced. However, with reports of Omicron cases being detected coming in, more restrictions may well be on the cards.

Worth mentioning here that Omicron cases have nearly touched the 2000 mark and the overall daily Covid cases are also seeing a significant surge with each passing day. Amid this, the detection of Omicron cases in the region may well lead to a surge in infections.