SHILLONG, July 23 - The Meghalaya Government today announced that it would conduct random tests with antigen kits in 71 clusters across the State.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the decision to conduct the random tests was taken following a proposal from the State Health Department today.
�The Government has decided to conduct random testing in 71 clusters across the State, as proposed by the Health Department. The testing will commence immediately,� Tynsong added.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the 7000-odd COVID-19 management committees across the State would assist Heath workers in conducting the tests. If a test through an antigen kit comes out positive, the individual will be quarantined and then an RT-PCR test will be conducted to confirm positivity.
Random testing has already begun in some clusters including Umpling, Nongmynsong, Mapwpat, Khanapara and others. Tynsong expressed gratitude to Health workers and doctors who are working tirelessly without thinking of their own safety. He also warned private hospitals not to stigmatize people by turning them away if they happen to come from a particular locality with high-risk persons.
Meanwhile, the total number of active cases has risen to 448 in Meghalaya with 19 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. Four persons have also recovered during this period, taking the total recoveries to 82.
The maximum number of active cases is in the East Khasi Hills district which has 375, followed by Ri-Bhoi district with 42. Out of this total, 281 are BSF personnel, 14 are from other armed forces and the rest are civilians.
