Near lockdown in Bengal for 2 weeks

Kolkata, May 15 (UNI): West Bengal government on Saturday announced that the state will go under a near lockdown for two weeks starting from Sunday.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said looking to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections, all offices and educational institutions will be shut down during this period.

Even transport services, including Kolkata Metro, will come to a halt, he said. Bandyopadhyay said only emergency services will be allowed and groceries and shops selling essential items will stay open between 7 am and 10 am.

However, sweetmeat vendors will be allowed to function between 10 am and 5 pm. Similarly, petrol pumps will stay open and so will banks, although only between 10 am and 2 pm.

The chief secretary in a notification said West Bengal government has been taking various necessary measures to contain and combat the spread of Covid 19 pandemic and had notified certain restrictions as disaster management measures.

The cases of Covid-19 have been on a rise in Kolkata and other parts of the state and there is a spike in deaths too. On Saturday, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee’s younger brother Asim Banerjee died of corona infection.

He had been found corona positive in the past and was undergoing treatment at Medica Hospital here.

Dr. Alok Roy, Chairman, Superspeciality Hospital Medica, Kolkata, said Banerjee had been found corona positive in the past and was admitted after his health deteriorated. His oxygen levels were significantly reduced due to corona infection.

Bengal has registered its highest single-day spike of 20,846 fresh cases, taking the tally to 10,94,802, the health department said in its bulletin on Friday.