SHILLONG, April 3 - Though no positive case of COVID-19 has been found in Meghalaya so far, the State Government is on high alert, with teams of doctors all ready, medicines being stockpiled and COVID-19 care facilities being set up to face any eventuality.
Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong today reiterated that the State Government is taking no chances and every effort is being made to prevent the possible outbreak of the disease in the State with the help of all concerned.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that extra precautions are being taken since the outbreak of the disease in Assam. Every vehicle entering the State carrying essential commodities is being checked, he added.
Tynsong said that the State Government has already lifted foodgrains for the month of April to avert any food shortage. Moreover, the Government is also strictly monitoring the prices of essential commodities so that they do not escalate at this crucial juncture. �We will take strict action against those who hike prices,� the Deputy Chief Minister warned.
As part of the effort to check the spread of the disease, the inter-State border and the international border have been closed to prevent movement of people across these areas, Tynsong said. He added that the help of traditional heads is also being taken to ensure that cross-border movement does not take place.
Meanwhile, according to officials, a three-pronged strategy has been put into place to tackle the COVID-19 menace. The first step is to track people coming from affected places. This process in fact began from January 24 and those who entered the State from affected countries like China and other places from India are being placed under quarantine for 28 days.
As many as 7,700 people have already been quarantined and a surveillance team consisting of 400 volunteers are calling up these people twice daily to check on their health and also give psychological support. So far, 66 people have been tested and all the results are negative.
Moreover, a medical team has been formed and based on their expert suggestions, medicines are being stocked up. Seventy hospitals have been taken onboard and a protocol set for admission of possible patients.
There are currently seven hospitals with ventilator care, with a total of 64 ventilators, in the State. The civil hospitals at Shillong and Tura are being especially prepared to take care of any eventualities.
Apart from the hospitals, corona care centres have been set up in the State capital and Tura in which 300 patients can be admitted at a time. The process to set up a testing centre in Tura has already started and the Centre�s assistance has been sought. There are also efforts to get more personal protective equipment (PPE) for the State. At present, the State has more than 7,000 PPE for health workers.
