Shillong: Schools and colleges will re-open and tourism will be re-started in Meghalaya from September 1, based on the recommendations of the education and tourism departments, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced after a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“All colleges are permitted to re-open from September 1 in urban as well as rural areas,” the Chief Minister said, adding that in the urban areas, online classes would continue for classes 1 to 5, school visits for classes 6 to 8 and on-campus classes for students of classes 9 to 12.
In the rural areas, school visits would be allowed for classes 1 to 5 and on-campus open classes for students of classes 6 to 12.
Announcing the re-opening of the tourism sector for visitors from outside the State from September 1, the chief minister said, “Non-local tourists who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be permitted entry”.
Non-local tourists who have received a single vaccine dose will have to produce RTPCR, TRUNAAT, CBNAAT negative results, which would be valid if they have been tested 72 hours prior to their arrival at the entry point.
“The tourists will also have to generate an e-invite for entry to Meghalaya through the App of the Meghalaya tourism department. It is also mandatory that the tourists who come in should book at least one night’s stay in either hotel, home-stay or guest houses and declaration of the complete itinerary should be made,” Sangma specified.
“Tourists who are staying as guests of any family or friend in Meghalaya shall declare the full address and contact details of the family or friend,” he added.
Local tourists from within the state will be allowed to visit any location in Meghalaya for tourism related purposes if fully vaccinated or who have taken even taken a single dose, Sangma said.
“Local tourists who are not vaccinated will have to produce negative RTPCR, TRUNAAT or CBNAAT report before checking into any hotel or visit any tourist spot,” he said.
Meanwhile, 231 new COVID-19 cases added up to 2628 active cases and two deaths of persons who were not vaccinated increased the number of fatalities to 1294, even as 362 more recoveries from the viral infection surged the number of recovered cases to 70841 in the State, which has registered 74817 confirmed cases till date.
