States »EasPosted at: Jun 25 2021 10:54PM Meghalaya eases restrictions despite high-rate of COVID-19 infection
Shillong, June 25 (UNI) Notwithstanding the high rate of COVIID-19 infection in Meghalaya, the State Government on Friday eased restriction for plying of commercial vehicles in the State capital and rural areas of the State from June 28.
“We have decided to allow 15 percent of local taxis and auto rickshaws in Shillong, to operate in Shillong and 30 percent in the rural areas of the State from Monday (June28),” Health and Family Welfare Minister Alexander Laloo told reporters.
He however said that taxi operators would have to display their vaccination certificates on their vehicles so that the public can make informed choices.
Restaurants and hotels will be allowed to open only for home delivery and takeaways, the Health Minister said, adding that tea-shops in the rural areas are allowed to open, but customers will have to sit outside the tea-shops.
Director Health Services (MI), Dr Aman War said that check points will be set up to verify whether drivers operating the commercial vehicles and other businesses are vaccinated or yet to be vaccinated.
He said people who enter a shop or a cab whose status is not vaccinated, it is their own risk.
“The idea of why we ask that people should go for vaccination is because we have seen that if you contract the virus after vaccination the disease is not so virulent vis-à-vis with the people who have not been vaccinated,” War said.
Meanwhile, the rising trend of COVID-19 infection continued with 602 fresh cases adding up to 4,665 active cases and seven deaths increasing the fatality figure to 814, even as 354 more recoveries took the number of recovered cases up to 42, 001 on Friday in the state, which has so far registered 47, 480 confirmed cases.
“The COVID-19 related deaths recorded today were three in West Jaintia Hills district, two in East Khasi Hills district and one each in East Garo Hills district and West Khasi Hills district,” War informed.
He said East Khasi Hills district had 1,403 active COVID-19 cases followed by Ri-Bhoi district with 670 cases, West Jaintia Hills district with 640 cases and West Garo Hills district with 630 cases, with the remaining eight districts having less than 300 active cases each.
On the other hand, 30, 613 health care workers received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 and 19, 828 received the second dose, 96, 062 front-line workers got the first jab and 26, 935 got the second shot, 43, 8154 persons from among the general public were inoculated with the first dose and 29, 181 were fully vaccinated with the second dose across the state as on Friday.
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