Lockdown not a real solution to COVID-19 pandemic: Meghalaya CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 21, 2020

Amid the sharp surge in the COVID-19 cases and fatalities, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has maintained that the state government is not in favour of imposing a total lockdown as it is not a solution to the problem.

After chairing a review meeting on Monday, Sangma told reporters that the different situations arising out of the pandemic was reviewed.

He said the meeting also discussed the issues related to the recovery rate, death rate and the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state and how to contain the spread by increasing the overall awareness among the citizens.

Asked, the chief minister said the news circulating on social media about the government’s decision to impose a lockdown is fake and incorrect.

“Lockdown is not really a solution but is only a mechanism to innovate, delay spread, certain situations. Therefore, the government is not for lockdown,” he said.

“But yes specific containment zones and micro containment which we are trying to improve as we go along as it is not always a perfectly working mechanism that will fit everybody but we need to realise that we cannot just simply close down the economy,” Sangma added.

According to him, citizens need to realize that COVID-19 is going to be here and the only way to move ahead is to be cautious and to be adaptive.

As of Monday, the state so far has recorded a total of 4,734 positive cases of which 2,169 are active, 2,527 recovered and 38 deaths.

Meanwhile, the chief minister also announced the government’s decision to re-open the 12 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state. He said protocols are already in place.