Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma speaks about COVID situation in Shillong

Meghalaya, May 18: Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said the COVID situation in Shillong would have been worse had the govt not gone for containment and lockdown.

The number of active cases of COVID in Shillong and the state overall has been increasing and is likely to breach the 5,000 mark by tomorrow.

If we had not done what we did two weeks back, the situation would have been more complicated,” the Chief Minister said.

Meghalaya CM had earlier said the government expects to conduct about 80,000 tests by the end of May, up from 60,000 done last month.

The government has also been able to increase the number of oxygen-supported beds from 350 to 700. The target is to increase it further to 1,000 in two weeks’ time,” Sangma said.

The state will also increase the number of oxygen cylinders from the current 700 to 1,500 soon, he added.

The government also intends to have more Corona Care Centres in different clusters of the city besides almost completing 300 beds at IIM and 100 beds each on the NIFT and MATI premises. About 50% of these beds will have oxygen concentrators.


Also Read: Lockdown extended by a week in Meghalaya

 

The chief minister also admitted that the state’s financial condition has worsened due to the COVID-19 situation.

Revealing that the total expenditure on COVID management is more than Rs 400 crore, Sangma said the expenditure this year has been less than 2020.

On reports of lockdown violations, Sangma said the people by and large have cooperated with the government.“More compliance is needed in certain areas and markets of the city,” he said, warning of stern steps in such areas.