Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on July 16 called for management of the COVID-19 situation at a micro level through ‘micro lockdowns’ instead of going for total lockdown of the state or in Shillong.
Meghalaya has so far registered 377 COVID-19 cases that include 326 active cases, two deaths and 49 recoveries from the viral infection.
“It is very important to understand that COVID-19 is here to stay for some time and we cannot expect that we will continue to run away from it or block or lockdown every time something happens. We need to adjust, adapt and learn how to live with this virus,” he told reporters after a meeting convened by Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh on July 16.
The meeting was also attended by ministers, opposition members and senior government officials.
“The government is continuously working on how we could micro-manage different situations. When a case comes up or suddenly a cluster comes up, should the whole state or whole city be locked down? Should all economic activities be stopped? Most probably
not,” the chief minister added.
“We need to find out how we could have micro lockdown strategies, individual lockdowns. How an individual’s actions and behaviors could make a vast difference. So we have started the step by involving now the Rangbah Shnongs, headmen and Nokmas by sharing not just
information on the positive patients, but also information about the high risk contacts,” Sangma said.
The chief minister also emphasized on the cooperation of the society at large in the micro-management of ‘micro lockdowns’ at different levels by containing the infection and also called upon people not to stigmatize those who have been exposed to the virus and have been infected. He added that the elected representatives could play important role in sensitizing the society in this aspect.
