Meghalaya govt announces more relaxation in COVID-19 related restrictions
The state government on Tuesday announced further relaxation in coronavirus related restrictions including partial reopening of lower primary schools and lifting of odd-even number system for public transport services.
The decision was taken after taking the present COVID-19 situation in the state into consideration during a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
Addressing media persons, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the state government has decided to lift the odd even number system for public transport services.
“There will no longer be any restriction on the public transport services as 100 percent are allowed to be on the road with immediate effect,” he said while adding that as far as the private transportation is concerned, the odd even number will continue to be in force.
The government has also directed the commercial vehicle owners and drivers to revert back to the old passenger fares.
“With the lifting of the odd even restriction as well as the transport department’s decision to lift the seating capacity restriction, the concerned vehicle owners and drivers will now have to charge the old passenger fares as decided earlier,” Tynsong asserted.
The meeting also decided that the night curfew, which is being currently imposed from 11 pm to 5 am, will continue in the state till further order.
On the partial reopening of lower primary schools, the deputy chief minister said this is because the government had earlier decided not to allow reopening of such schools in Shillong, Jowai and Tura during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
“We have decided to allow partial reopening of schools for classes 1 to 5. This would mean that the school authority can have only consultative classes with the students but not on a regular basis and also be subjected to strict compliance with the SOPs issued by the government,” he said.
Further relaxing the restriction on religious places, the deputy chief minister said, “We have decided to allow attendance of 75 percent instead of one-third of the total membership strength of each worshipping/religious place. Again, activities of religious groups such as meetings, conferences and so on and so forth, are also relaxed from one-third capacity to 75 percent capacity of the total strength.”
He said similar relaxation is also extended to sport activities, meetings/functions held at the village/locality level, private functions like weddings, family get-together, funerals and others.
The government has also decided to allow reopening of all tourist spots, hostels and crèches.
“Restrictions on tourist spots have been lifted with immediate effects. We have also decided to allow children below the age of 10 years and senior citizens to visit tourist spots in different parts of the state,” he said.
The other activities permitted by the state government also include fishing competition, fetes, youth weeks and various fund raising activities.
Stating that such relaxations are subjected to compliance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the health department, the deputy chief minister said, “The SOPs will be in place till the COVID-19 vaccination drive is completed in the state.”
Asked, Tynsong said the decision to ease these restrictions was after seeing the trend of COVID-19 positive cases has reduced in the state. According to him, the government is also taking measures to ensure that normalcy is restored in the state.
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