Amid rising Covid cases, anti-vaccine protesters rally in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 23 (IANS) Amid the surge of Covid-19 cases in Meghalaya, anti-vaccination protesters organised a rally in the capital city Shillong against the alleged mandatory inoculation drive by the state government.Organised by the NGO Awaken India Movement (AIM), the anti-vaccination protesters took out a protest march from Motphran to Khyndailad, strongly opposing the compulsory vaccination by the health department.AIM Chairman Banshai Marbaniang, who led the protest march, said that people are protesting the mandatory vaccination by the state government against their fundamental rights of taking the vaccine jab of their choice.The protesters are also against the compulsory wearing of face mask and testing of their samples."The authorities are forcing and harassing the non-vaccinated people to test their samples every 10 days. The AIM would hold protest marches on the matter in other parts of the state," Marbaniang told the media.According to reports of the National Health Mission, Meghalaya, the state on Saturday recorded the highest ever single-day spike of 406 new Covid positive cases pushing the number of active cases to 2,002, with one death due to the infection raising the total number of casualties to 1,496.Aman War, Meghalaya Director of Health Services, said that East Khasi Hills in which the state capital Shillong falls, the most coronavirus-hit district registered 304 fresh cases on Saturday, with the district currently having 1,377 active cases with 1,018 people succumbed to the contagious disease.Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong while talking to the media said that the state government is not considering imposing lockdown in the state following the sudden rise of new Covid-19 cases.The state government would review the situation arising out of sudden spurts of Covid cases and in view of the positive cases of Omicron variant found in the hill state and in the neighbouring states, Tynsong added.
--IANS sc/khz/

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