Shillong, May 14: Quarantine of returnees to the state should be effectively enforced to ensure safety and not to be taken as a mere advisory of the government, Leader of Opposition in Meghalaya Assembly, Dr Mukul Sangma said on Thursday.

“Therefore, quarantine is an issue of enforcement and not just advisory,” he told journalists after at a high-level review meeting between the State government and Opposition leaders which was chaired by Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh.

“There is a need for the government to really see that all of them are screened properly to ensure that if there is any chance of any of our citizens who are returning having contracted the virus is given the kind of attention and treatment as is required as per the protocol,” Sangma, who is a physician himself, emphasized.

In order to ensure that Meghalaya has to be free from any infection, the former Chief Minister said that the government must ensure that all health measures are put in place to verify if any of the returnee to the state by chance has contracted the virus.

“If you are sending the people who are likely to be carrying the virus and if somebody by chance you are to ensure that we are able to protect the vulnerable members of the family. So this part has to properly audited and seen. Therefore, quarantine is an issue of enforcement and not just advisory,” Sangma said, even as he underscored the need of conducting a rapid diagnostic test to identify the presence of anti-bodies.

“The importance of this test (anti-bodies) will enable us to know who the enemy is whether the virus is coming along with any of our citizens,” the MBBS doctor-turned politician said.