The Meghalaya government has ordered the closure of all the tourist spots in the state including parks and recreational areas till March 31 as a precautionary measure from the outbreak of COVID-19, an official said on March 18.
On the other hand, the Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum (MRTF) has asked Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to initiate procedures barring national and international tourists from entering the borders to safeguard the citizens especially those in the rural areas in view of the global outbreak of COVID-19 virus.
“In the last few days, it was witnessed that the sister states from Northeast like Sikkim, Arunacal Pradesh and Manipur are taking drastic steps of banning domestic and foreign tourists from entering their states to protect their citizens,” MRTF president Alan West Kharkongor said as he urged the CM to initiate similar procedures.
On March 17, the Meghalaya government has appealed to all domestic and foreign travellers visiting the state to mandatorily report to the office of the deputy commissioner through 108 toll free helpline.
“All such travellers are also advised to maintain social distancing and self quarantine at home for 14 days and call for 108 for any assistance from the health department and other state agencies,” Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare P Sampath Kumar told reporters.
The government has also declared shutdown of all educational institutions, barring examination centres for MBOSE, ICSE, NEHU, CBSE and other institutions that are undergoing examinations till March 31 as a precautionary measure to safeguard the citizens of the state.
Places of mass gathering like Cinema halls, Gynasiums, major sports events and Swimming pools are to be closed. Conference, workshops, meeting, seminars, training etc which involve large gatherings are to be postponed or cancelled.
