SHILLONG, May 18 - Meghalaya has become COVID-19 free, with the lone active patient testing negative on Monday after successive tests.
Briefing the media, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said, �We are happy to inform that Meghalaya has no more active COVID-19 cases.� He said that with Monday�s test result, 12 persons have fully recovered, with one person succumbing to the disease.
Till Monday, the state has sent 3,207 samples for tests and 2,883 came out negative. A total of 311 test results are awaited. Tynsong said 6,565 people from Meghalaya who were stranded across the country have reached home.
Tynsong thanked the �frontline workers up to the Deputy Commissioner level� who �worked tirelessly� and helped people with their tests and also in reaching their destination.
On the community coming forward to assist the government, Tynsong said there are at present over 7,000 COVID-19 committees in different villages and localities in rural and urban areas across the state. Some of these committees have set up quarantine centres and are working with the government to help those returning from outside the state.
Two trains � from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat � carrying people of the state have reached Guwahati and these people have been transported back to their homes.
On Monday evening, about 1,400 people from the state would board a train from Bengaluru and reach Guwahati on May 20. All these people would be screened before they enter the state and would head for the mandatory quarantine of 14 days at home and community-established centres.
�We want to thank these committees across the state for working so hard in close coordination with government machinery from the district to block level,� Tynsong said.
PTI adds: Heaping praise on health officials and security personnel in Meghalaya for their efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday also said the only remaining active patient of coronavirus in the state has recovered. The Chief also Minister reviewed the state�s preparedness to deal with the pandemic. �VC with Deputy Commissioners of all the Districts and the Health department going on, to review the overall situation related to COVID-19, and more importantly preparing for the coming days. All the DCs have done a great job in such challenging times. Together we can,� he tweeted.
