Shillong, Mar 16: The Meghalaya Assembly adjourned the ongoing budget session till March 19, even as all educational institutions, except ongoing examinations, places of mass gatherings like cinema halls, malls, gymnasiums, and swimming pools have been shutdown from March 17 to March 31 as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19 virus.

Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh said that the House would assemble for just one more day on March 19, following which it would be adjourned.

Sources said that the government will pass a vote-on-account on March 19 and a re-assembled budget session is likely to be held in June to pass the full budget.

Replying to a discussion in this regard after an adjournment motion was moved by Opposition Congress legislators George Lyngdoh and Miani D Shira, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma assured the House that the government has been taking all possible steps to tackle the situation, which is being closely monitored.

Informing the House that no positive case has been reported in the state so far, Sangma said that measures will be taken to ensure that there is no dearth of essential commodities and check any possible attempt at hoarding.

He said the government would declare some products, like hand sanitizers and masks as essential commodities, even as six lakh each of sanitizers and 3 ply mask besides 11 thermal scanners has been ordered.

A toll free number 108 has been activated 24 x 7 for answering to all public queries regarding the Corona virus.

“As a government there is a need to balance awareness and the need for overall order so that there is no panic,” Sangma said.

Sangma said that the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) has been identified as one of the testing centres for corona virus.

Moreover, he said that almost all districts in the state have control rooms with nodal officers and isolation beds are being prepared in the different government hospitals.

The Chief Minister also informed that several students, mostly studying medicine, who had come to the state from China, Italy, Japan, Germany, Singapore on January 30 last have been kept in quarantine and their condition was being monitored on a daily basis.

“All the students have completed their quarantine period but 17 of them are still under observation to assess if they have any kind of symptoms of the virus. We are monitoring these students and the (Health) department is calling them everyday,” Sangma said.

Participating in the adjournment motion, the opposition legislators urged the government to take all measures to ensure that there is no outbreak of the disease in the state and also remain prepared to tackle any eventuality.

“The government should not shy away from taking drastic measures to curb the spread of the virus. Timely decision to put in place drastic measures is needed to curb the spread of the virus social distancing is crucial,” Leader of Opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma said.

The opposition members also stressed on the need of proper screening of people, who enter the state from outside, especially those coming from other countries.

Earlier, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek laid on the table of the house a statement listing the various steps taken by the state health department to check the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

He informed that awareness regarding the do’s and don’ts in this regard were being disseminated in local dialects and languages.

Hek said that conferences, workshops, meetings, seminars, trainings, major sporting events, which involve large gatherings are to be postponed or cancelled.

“All non-essential travel outside and into the state are to be postponed or avoided,” he added.

Visiting big open and enclosed markets and tourist places are to be avoided and social distancing and hand-hygiene are to be maintained in places of work and worship, he underscored.

Hek also advised that notified fairs and festivals are to be postponed or cancelled and close contact in public transport is to be avoided, adding that companies or offices with work-from-home option may permit employees to do so.

The Health and Family Welfare department has given the advisory and the final decision and detailed instructions will be issued after the meeting being convened today by the Chief Minister along with the chief secretary today, he said.