WB on shutdown from 5 pm today
As the total number of Covid-19 patients rose to seven in West Bengal on Sunday, the Mamata Banerjee government has announced lockdown in most parts of the state including Kolkata and seven districts from 5 pm on Monday till March 27 midnight, adding the state to the list of many others which have swung into the mode to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Only the essential and emergency services will remain operational.
The seven districts are North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda in North Bengal and Howrah, Nadia, Murshidabad and Burdwan West in South Bengal. Among the remaining 16 districts, the lockdown will be in force in all the towns and also in several sub divisional areas.
The decision was taken after the meeting between the Cabinet secretary and the chief secretaries of all the states including West Bengal which observed janata curfew. The lockdown bars movements of public vehicles, buses, taxis and autorickshaws.
The state government’s move also came as three more persons including a couple were found positive with the deadly virus. Admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Beliaghata, the three patients are the parents of the second confirmed case: a youth in the state and a woman domestic help of the family in Ballygunge of south Kolkata.
They were earlier kept in isolation as the 23-yearold tested positive of
Covid-19 days after his return from London and visits to many places, ignoring precautions. The lockdown announcement also coincided the railways’ cancellation of all trains including Kolkata Metro in the state.
The Eastern Railway stated, “...all originating long distance mail/express and intercity trains (including premium trains) and all originating passenger trains shall remain cancelled till 24.00 hours of 31.03.2020. Suburban trains, as notified earlier, are continued at bare minimum level until
24.00 hours of 22.03.2020.” It added, “Thereafter all suburban trains will be totally cancelled from
24.00 hours of 22.03.2020 till 24.00 hours of
31.03.2020.”