EKH admin declared Shillong Times office as containment area

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 23, 2020

The District Magistrate of East Khasi Hills has declared the office building and staff quarters of The Shillong Times as containment area after three non-journalists tested COVID-19 positive.

“There has been recent high risk and low risk contact  with the COVID-19 positive cases, vulnerable and affected areas require aggressive contact tracing, quarantine, testing and isolation as well as containment in the interest of health of general public against any possible spread of COVID-19.

Since all staff quarters in the specific identified location share a common entrance, all protocols of social distancing, wearing of face masks and hand sanitization are being violated and since the RTPCR results of high risk contacts tested yesterday and today are still awaited.” the order said.

The District Magistrate has restricted unregulated entry and exit movement on site to complete the contact tracing.

Taking to Facebook the newspaper has announced “With deep regret we inform our readers that we are the only media house in the world to have fallen victim to COVID-19! After 75 years of service, we got the stick from the government for alleged violation of health protocol. This means that ST will not hit the stands from August 23 onwards.

The administration has declared our building as a containment area after three non-journalists tested COVID-19 positive. Despite all the protocols being in place, an official order picked holes where there was none.”