Shillong, Jan 16: The opposition Congress has slammed the MDA government for failing to take appropriate measures to contain the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic and lacking institutionalized quarantine centres.
MPCC chief Vincent H. Pala said, as of now, the state government has completely left it to people to fend for themselves against the third wave of COVID-19 whereas in the rest of the country the governments are working hand in hand with different communities and different heads.
“…whoever gets it (Covid), it is up to them and how they isolate themselves. This is totally a failure on the part of the government,” he said.
Pala also warned that the spread, if not properly controlled, will have big setback on the state and the people forcing the government to re-impose lockdown.
However, he maintained that the Congress does not support imposition of lockdown as the economic activities of the people have already suffered.
“Therefore, we request the government that it should handle the situation in such a way that it will be with the support of the public and that it should not impose on the people, rather they should also give compensation to the people who works on the ground. Government has to come out with more stringent measures on this issue so that people do not suffer much,” he said.
On the other hand, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ampareen Lyngdoh asserted the need for the government to immediately review the situation and take several important and key actions to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“We are saying that the SOP again can be very confusing for the public. We do not see any review of or spot inspections or surprise inspections of government agencies even in the streets… You walkout in Police Bazaar today and you see how many people are actually wearing the masks, how many people are actually wearing safe masks, are they wearing double masks if they don’t have N95 – so these lapses can have far reaching implications on the public,” she said.
Expressing concern over the sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, Lyngdoh said, “Now government can say that okay omicron is not as lethal but we have now seen in cities where omicron hit first that they are slowly getting into the lockdown situation.”
She also said that testing at this point of time is still questionable. “I am told that even in Umling which is the main entry point to Meghalaya, testing is not taken very seriously by the government,” she added.
Urging the government not to wait for a crisis like situation but to take action immediately, the CLP leader however said they have not seen the utilization of quarantine centres.
“Now most of these individuals are going home and they have been advised to stay home and that again is causing a big problem because many individuals don’t know exactly what they need to do… We are asking somebody who has been tested positive to remain at home in isolation and if there is no supervision or no checking by the government, this situation could go out of hand,” she warned.
Asserting that vaccination is an important component in fighting against Covid, she said the government needs to inform the schedules for the booster dose as it has gone ahead with vaccination of 15-18 years old and the response of the public.
“These are few pertinent questions that government need to look at so that this situation does not get out of hand. I also know from experience whenever government is found to be waiting for a crisis to occur, public have suffered more… If we want to avoid lockdown type situation, then you need to strategize your plan and make it clear to the public so that the public may know,” she further stated.
Lyngdoh also said that Chief Minister of Assam could confidently declare that anybody who does not have vaccination certification will not be allowed in public place.
“We have seen there have been active involvement of government officials to ensure this checking happens efficiently. Assam can afford to say that because they have just gone through elections. What about the state of Meghalaya, we are about to peak for election campaigns,” she said.
She also requested the government to take quick action. “You cannot wait for an earthquake to come and shake you and destroy you. We always have time to plan for this especially for emergency and health related of this nature… All of us are adequately qualified and experienced to evaluate how quick this Covid pandemic can destroy livelihoods, can destroy lives. Let us not wait for this emergency situation to occur but let us look into this matter and address it quickly,” she said.
