The Meghalaya government has decided to provide one-time assistance of Rs 5000 to each active community quarantine centre for keeping stranded citizens who returned from outside the state.
This was announced by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in the Assembly on the first day of the re-assembled budget session on Wednesday while replying to a zero-hour notice moved by Nongpoh MLA, Mayralborn Syiem.
Sangma said that the amount would be given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
He said that it is next to impossible to put more than 8000 returnees in institutional quarantine centres and the government has encouraged home quarantine with the family or community quarantine for those who did not show any COVID-19 symptoms when the entered the state.
So far, 7050 stranded citizens have returned to Meghalaya, the chief minister said.
Sangma also informed that for returnees from outside the state, they have to undergo two tests – rapid test and RT-PCR test.
Earlier, the Nongpoh MLA urged the government to increase the number of institutional quarantine centres to accommodate returnees from outside the state.