Meghalaya: Lockdown in East Khasi Hills Extended by A Week

The Meghalaya government has extended the total lockdown in the East Khasi Hills district by another week, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said.

The lockdown will be effective in the state capital as it is under the administrative control of the district.

Tynsong said, "The total lockdown in East Khasi Hills district will continue from May 31 up to 5 am of June 7."

The lockdown was first imposed in the district on May 5.

Tynsong however informed that there will be some relaxation during the extended lockdown period.

He said the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills has been asked to make sure availability of essential commodities in all localities within the district.

Home delivery services are also permitted, subject to permission and regulation of the DC, he said.

The State Bank of India Main Branch, Laitumkhrah Branch and Secretariat Branch will function with limited staff for the purpose of government transactions, he said, adding that all other banks are permitted to open on May 31 and June 1 with limited staff for the purpose of urgent transactions only.

Further, the government has also permitted all post offices to open for three days from June 2. E-commerce activities and courier services are also permitted.

Hardware stores are also permitted to open on a need basis and with the prior permission of the district administration.

"In situ construction work for government projects as well as private construction works that do not involve movement of labourers will also be permitted, subject to regulation by the DC," Tynsong said.

The deputy chief minister said that the weekend lockdown in the other ten districts of the state will continue until further orders.

Meanwhile, farming activities and the 100 days of wage employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are exempted from the purview of the lockdown.

The state recorded 20 new COVID-19 related deaths on Friday and 731 new cases.

The death toll rose to 544, while there are 8,025 active cases.

The state also recorded the highest single-day recovery of 941 patients.

Meghalaya has so far recorded 33,835 cases, while 25,266 people have recovered.

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