Shillong, May 22: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Friday said strengthening health infrastructure has been a priority of the State government over the last two months to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A number of investments have been made for procuring health equipments to empower the frontline workers and to create a number of quarantine and isolation facilities,” he said.

Replying to a call attention notice tabled by opposition Congress legislator Mayralborn Syiem in the Assembly, Sangma said the government has taken proactive steps for ramping up COVID-19 testing and maintaining sufficient stock of PPEs, N95 masks, BIPAP machines, VTMs to deal with any eventuality.

“Around 7000 COVID-19 Management Committee have been the constituted who are very pro-active and are demonstrating exemplary support in fighting the pandemic,” the Chief Minister informed, adding that heads of traditional institutions have also come together to support the government’s efforts to contain the spread of this disease.

He said many communities are also setting up quarantine centres to effectively isolate and quarantine returning citizens and the government is fully supporting the efforts of these communities.

Informing that the government has adopted a three-pronged strategy to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic since March, Sangma said, “We are prioritizing the breaking of transmission chain, building the capacity of communities to deal with the situation and improving health infrastructure.”

The Chief Minister also informed that over 7,500 stranded residents of the State have come in from all parts of the Country post May 5 and necessary protocols were put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19.