Meghalaya to come up with COVID protocols for festive season: CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 2, 2020

The state government has decided to come up with protocols to ensure safety of the citizens during this festive season.

Informing this after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the state on Wednesday, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said, “Keeping in mind the festive season, which has already begun…it is important that we come up with basic guidelines if necessary protocols, to ensure that people are safe because during festive season, we do tend to let down our guards.”

He said the government has also decided to soon have consultations with the different stakeholders on this regard.

“The deputy commissioners will be asked to hold meetings with different stakeholders to get their feedback and after getting the feedback from them within a week’s time we will be able to come up with some guidelines for this festive season,” he said.

Appealing to citizens to strictly follow protocols, Sangma said, “Christmas time is a time where we all are in a festive mood. So I would urge that whatever we do we should always keep the discipline and the safety aspects.”

Stating that there is decline in the number of positive cases in the state, the chief minister said, “It is a good message but it is important that we should not let our guards down by always ensuring that protocols are maintained.”

Asked on the vaccination programme, the chief minister said the Prime Minister during a recently held meeting has clearly directed all the states to ensure that the necessary system and logistics are in place to implement the vaccination process as and when the vaccines are approved by the scientists and overall regulatory authorities.

As far as Meghalaya state is concerned Sangma said the first phase will be a phase where medical and frontline workers will be the first to be immunized.

“Therefore, it will be slightly a more structured and easier process because most of them will be able to go to the closest health centres and receive the vaccination,” he said.

Asserting that the state is very much ready to implement the programme, Sangma said all deputy commissioners have been asked to ensure the manpower and respective infrastructures are put in place.

“So that will be the first phase and  we expect most probably two dosage that will be required for every individual which we are not clear yet but this is what we have been told so we have to wait and see when the final information comes to us,” he said.

“Today the UK government has approved the pfizer vaccines so that is a positive news and hopefully will see as the days and the weeks go by we all hope that this will happen soon but more importantly we as a state should be ready to implement it in a swift manner,” he further added.

On the all party meeting called by the Prime Minister, the chief minister said the meeting will again be in relation to the vaccination process.

Meanwhile, the state government has also allowed resuming of certain outdoor and indoor games. According to the chief minister, permissions have been taken for holding of football matches in the state.