COVID-19: Meghalaya urges Centre to put on hold transfers of employees to the state

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 29, 2020

The state government has decided to request the government of India to keep on hold the proposed transfers of central government employees including paramilitary forces to the state in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have asked the state’s chief secretary to immediately send a letter to the secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) requesting the need to keep on hold the proposed transfer of such officials,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters after chairing a review meeting here on Monday.

He said this is because the situation in Meghalaya is not at all conducive due to the prevailing scenario arising out of the pandemic.

The decision was taken after three armed forces personnel were tested positive for COVID-19 in the state recently.

Asked, Tynsong said that some of the border security forces (BSF) personnel, who have been tested positive, were on leave and had come back to the state to join work.

“However, we have also had meetings with the concerned commanding officers where instructions have been given to strictly follow protocols while entering the state including mandatory quarantine,” he stated.

Stating that such cases involving the paramilitary personnel have very less contacts, the deputy CM said, “We already have system in place where even the CM (who recently came back from Manipur and Delhi) is still undergoing quarantine.”

On the other hand, Health Minister AL Hek informed that the state at present is having a total of 7 active cases which include 4 in East Khasi Hills, 2 South West Khasi Hills and 1 Ri Bhoi.

He said of 50 positive cases recorded, a total of 42 patients have now recovered.

Hek further informed that a total of 18,567 of 19,287 samples sent for testing as on Monday were found to be negative while test results of 580 are awaited.

Meanwhile, a total of 18,823 people stranded in the different parts of the country have returned to the state.