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Need God’s intervention, says Meghalaya health minister on surge in Covid cases
In an open letter to citizens of Meghalaya, health minister said the special prayer will be held on Sunday for speedy recovery of all Covid patients and for the safety of citizens of the Meghalaya
Meghalaya will hold an all faith special prayer on May 30 to plead with God for his divine protection against the ongoing Covid-19 scourge, health minister Alexander Laloo Hek said on Friday. Hek, a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, added that he had come up with the idea and received approval from chief minister Conrad K Sangma who wanted the prayer to be organised at the earliest.
“We need God’s intervention and His blessings. Without Him, we are absolutely nobody. That is why we as one big family should on this day especially take out time and hold this special prayer besides our daily ones,” the minister said.
Meghalaya, which had 49 active Covid-19 cases and a cumulative of 14,000 confirmed cases on 1 April, has 8,025 active cases and a cumulative total of 33,835 confirmed cases. The state, which is estimated to have a population of 33 lakh, has registered 544 deaths including the 20 who, news agency Press Trust of India said, died on Friday.
Only divine protection can deliver people “who are suffering in various forms from this pestilence at this dark moment not only in the state but all around the world,” the minister said.
Alexander Laloo Hek said the special prayer will be held at noon on Sunday and asked leaders of all faiths to urge people to pray and intercede with God in their respective homes.
“We request everybody in their respective houses to assemble together maintaining protocols at 12 noon on May 30 and pray to the Almighty for His protection.” the minister, known to be a staunch Catholic, said.
East Khasi hills, the district where state capital Shillong is located and has reported the maximum cases and deaths, has been under a total lockdown for nearly four weeks. The state initially imposed restrictions in April to curb the number of cases but later decided to go for a complete lockdown in the district when the situation didn’t improve.
On Friday, PTI said deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong announced that the lockdown in East Khasi Hills district will continue till June 7.
According to covidtracking.in the state witnessed a growth of 177 per cent in coronavirus cases in just 14 days, the highest rate in the country so far. According to the website’s data, Meghalaya was one of the four states and union territory where covid cases increased by more than 50% over the past two weeks. Tripura (169%), Arunachal Pradesh (60%) and Lakshadweep (112%) were the other three.
