New Delhi: As the second extension of the pan-India lockdown necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic kicks in, NDTV speaks with the Chief Minister Of Meghalaya, a model state in the fight against coronavirus to know about the impact of the lockdown and how should India plan the unlocking phase. Meghalaya had reported 12 active cases of coronavirus in March, today, only one case is active, 10 have recovered and one person has succumbed to the virus. It has also been declared a coronavirus-free state by the government.
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Talking about the lockdown policy that has been adopted across the country, CM Conrad Sangma said,
Lockdown is the only way forward in this battle. It has been very clear that lockdown has been effective in flattening the curve of coronavirus cases. In our state itself, when we recorded 12 active cases of coronavirus on March 13, by March 16, we imposed restrictions on the state, which proved to be beneficial, AS now we don’t have any more cases of coronavirus. So the chain of the virus was broken then and there itself.
Also Read: India Fighting Coronavirus Outbreak: 5 Out Of 8 States In Northeast Declared Coronavirus-Free
Further talking about the action plan for unlocking India once the lockdown is lifted, CM Conrad Sangma added,
There should be restrictions, we just cannot allow people to live like before once the lockdown is lifted, especially in areas which are severely affected by coronavirus or which are now tagged as red zones.
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Highlighting few of the restriction, which across India should continue, he said,
Movement at interstate levels should be avoided for now. Moreover, as a country, we need a vivid plan of action to unlock ourself, like there should be some kind of model in which the country should start rolling out relaxations.
Talking about the model which is being now followed in India, in the third phase of lockdown, which kick-started from May 3, the CM added,
[corona_data_new]Like, we have started some activities in green zones, whereas orange and red zones have different sets of guidelines, we should now focus on working on guidelines that focus on different states that have more red zones. Each state will need to work to contain the spread of the virus within their red zones first. It isn’t a very easy fight, there are a lot of challenges involved. The action plan should be drafted according to the states status and the number of cases or red zones they have. India overall should have more strict laws for red zones.
