The Meghalaya government on Friday advised its citizens not to travel to neighbouring Guwahati, a city which will see a lockdown from Monday for two weeks following a spike in Covid-19 cases.

But the state government has allowed hotels to reopen from July 1, though a new Covid-19 case was reported from the Ri Bhoi district.

Deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong, while briefing reporters here on Friday, appealed to citizens of the state to refrain from travelling to Guwahati, except in unavoidable situations, in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases.

“Application and No Objection Certificate should be obtained from the respective deputy commissioners for travelling outside the state,” Tynsong said.

A total lockdown will be imposed in the entire Kamrup (Metro) district for two weeks from Sunday midnight, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said in Guwahati.

For the first week, only pharmacies, hospitals and testing laboratories will be allowed to function, Sarma said. The remaining seven days could be more relaxed.

The Assam government has also announced that curfew would be imposed from 7pm to 7am in all districts, and a weekend lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays for town and municipal committees in every district.

But with fewer Covid-19 cases, Meghalaya has decided to allow hotels to reopen from July 1. This decision was made following inputs received from deputy commissioners, Tynsong said.

The deputy chief minister said standard operating procedures and protocols will be issued to all concerned regarding the reopening of hotels.

Meghalaya currently has four active patients of the coronavirus after one Covid-19 case was detected from Umden village in the Ri Bhoi district.

Health minister A.L. Hek said that the person who tested positive had returned to his village on June 24. The person was working as a driver of a milk van in neighbouring Guwahati and had stayed there for two months.

He also said that to date, 18,037 samples have been sent for testing, of which 17,741 samples tested negative while the reports of 240 samples were awaited.

So far, the state has recorded 47 Covid-19 cases, of which 42 have recovered while one passed away on April 15.

Till Friday, Hek said the number of stranded citizens who have returned to Meghalaya was 18,358.