Shillong, May 15: Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Friday revealed that around 400 residents of State who returned from other parts of the country have violated the self-quarantine protocols by venturing out.

Meanwhile, a public-spirited citizen Joannes J.T.L. Lamare , petitioned Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Biswanath Somadder, seeking a stay order on home quarantine as directed by the State government since “many people of the state are not fully aware as to what home quarantine means.”

“The Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister had allotted and sanctioned funds and financial assistance to Meghalaya to counter, combat and minimise the spread of COVID-19 in the State, therefore the government also should be able to take care of those returning from outside the state and offer them institutional quarantine and not home quarantine as home quarantine is not 100 percent safe,” Lamare stated in his petition.

In his daily briefing, Tynsong said: “These 400 citizens belonging to areas under the Shillong agglomeration were found to have violated the self-quarantine protocols.”

He said the health officials monitored the movement of these individuals who should be undergoing quarantine through the use of technology.

“However, officials have visited the homes of these violators and advised them not to venture out since they were required to adhere to the health protocols,” the Deputy Chief Minister said, even as he appealed to all returnees to mandatorily observe the quarantining period to avoid any unwarranted situation.

Tynsong informed that returnees, who have returned to the state from within the North Eastern States, have been advised to undergo a 14 days home quarantine period. While those who have arrived from other states from outside the region must endure 28 days quarantine including 14 days of self-observation, he said.

The Meghalaya government has classified those who have come from other parts of the country, apart from the North Eastern States, as those who have arrived from “red zone” areas.

Tynsong said that till Friday, 4,681 residents who were stranded across the country have arrived in the State.

He also informed that local villages authorities have set up have set up community quarantine centres for those who do not have sufficient space in their residences to undergo quarantine.

“The government will provide food for those staying in such quarantine centres,” the Deputy Chief Minister assured.

Furthermore, Tynsong also informed that the traditional heads (village headmen) have expressed their willingness to collectively work together with the government once stranded residents arrived in the State.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister informed that till Friday, 2,712 samples have been collected for testing, out of which, 2,597 have tested negative while the results of 102 samples were awaited.

So far, Meghalaya has recorded 13 COVID-19 positive cases, out of which 11 have fully recovered, one active case while the first COVID-19 patient succumbed to the virus two days after he contracted the disease.