Guwahati: Amid the steady and alarming surge in COVID-19 cases, the Meghalaya Government has decided to close all the entry points of the state which are located Byrnihat, Ratacherra, Bajentoba, Tikkrikkilla, Mirjumla, and Hallidayganj from July 24-31.
During this period, "only emergency, medical services, essential commodities, and transit movement of Assam vehicles" will be allowed. "This is essential to unburden the Health and other frontline workers as well as the district administration who have been engaged in this intensive surveillance work for the past 4 months", the Meghalaya Government said in a notification.
The notification further added that during this time, the Health and Family Welfare Department along with the COVID management teams shall also engage in individualized behavior change management training in the localities.
"This time shall also be used to shift the entry point of Byrnihat to a new location in order to enable the smooth movement of people and vehicles", the notice further added.
This decision has been taken after the 2-day lockdown called in Shillong to contain the rapid spread of the virus came to an end. The lockdown was used to trace the contacts of the cases reported in Shillong, which has seen a major spike in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in the past one week.
Meghalaya, after a brief lull, has been witnessing a dramatic surge in cases, although the number of deaths remains fixed at 2. As on Wednesday, the land of clouds has registered 289 active cases of the respiratory disease, with 205 of those patients being Border Security Force (BSF) jawans.
Also Watch: #NewsMakers: Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in an Exclusive chat with Oineetom Ojah