Meghalaya Govt Orders 7-Day Mandatory Quarantine For Returnees Even If Tested Negative

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma informed that all returnees who tested positive or negative for COVID-19 must be isolated as the number of new positive cases is still high, and the positivity rate is also one of the highest in the past many months. 

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Meghalaya government has decided to ask all returnees from outside the state to quarantine for seven days even if they tested negative through RT-PCR. The decision was taken in view of the rise in the number of new COVID-19 positive cases among the returnees.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma informed that all returnees who tested positive or negative for COVID-19 must be isolated as the number of new positive cases is still high, and the positivity rate is also one of the highest in the past many months. 

"We are seeing that more returnees have tested positive and close to 65 percent of them have tested positive. In order to ensure that we contain the spread, a strong advisory is being issued to the returnees to stay isolated for seven days even if the test came out negative because they have the potential to spread,” CM Conrad Sangma said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reviewed the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>#COVID19</a> situation. Discussed the improvement of management up to the grassroot level.<br> <br>We advise returnees to keep themselves isolated for 7 days even if they test negative. <br><br>Urge citizens to not be complacent, follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour &amp; get vaccinated. <a href="https://t.co/xWESVR87yF" rel='nofollow'>pic.twitter.com/xWESVR87yF</a></p>&mdash; Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) <a href="https://twitter.com/SangmaConrad/status/1386697780790394884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>April 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He said that the returnees who tested positive have to follow the laid down protocols. On the state’s requirement for the COVID vaccine, he said that the state government has written a letter to the Centre requesting it to provide the vaccine to the state in around 30 lakh doses. He also urged the citizens to take the vaccine. 

The Chief Minister said that if the trend continues (an increase of new cases), the state may touch 5000 active cases also within a few days. 

On Monday, the state reported one COVID-19 death, besides 130 new positive cases that took the number of active cases to 1,403. So far, a total of 161 persons have died of COVID-19. As many as 114 COVID patients have also recovered, taking the number of persons who have recovered to 14,560.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has taken measures by imposing more restrictions in certain areas including the opening of non-essential shops especially in Shillong in order to avoid lockdown. 

He informed that six more oxygen generation plants including three plants sanctioned under PM CARES will be set up in the state, apart from more beds in the districts.