Meghalaya Health Minister's house tagged as 'micro-containment area' after daughter tests COVID-19 positive

Guwahati: Meghalaya Health Minister A L Hek's house in Shillong's R R Colony has been declared as a "micro containment zone" after the minister's 25-year-old daughter tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday (October 7).

Confirming this to The Sentinel Digital, Hek said, "My house has been declared as a micro-containment zone after my daughter tested positive for the coronavirus. She is a student studying in London but is here due to the pandemic situation. All the protocols will be observed and the area will be untagged after a period of 15 days."

The Minister who is presently in New Delhi said that his other family members have tested negative. "As of now, no other family member has tested positive," he informed.

Hek, who is the lone BJP representative in the state cabinet, in making use of his party connection, on Wednesday urged the Prime Minister's Office to urgently release funds for enabling the state to tackle COVID-19.

Yesterday, Hek sought monetary help from the PM CARES Fund for the frontline corona warriors of his state. The Meghalaya health minister held a meeting with the Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr. Jitendra Singh wherein he made this demand.

The Minister said that traditional institutions like dorbars, village heads, Anganwadi/ASHA workers, and civil societies, who are battling against the dreaded disease, should be given a "token of appreciation" in some form or the other, Hek said.

The COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on Meghalaya's finances as the state government recently announced that it had invested Rs 399 crore for the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least 128 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya on Wednesday, pushing the cumulative tally in the state to 7,165. At least 60 persons have succumbed to their infections thus far. 55 of these fatalities have been reported from East Khasi hills -- the most densely populated district in the state.

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