To contain the Covid-19 pandemic, exempting only critical and essential services, the West Bengal government on Sunday announced a total lockdown in Kolkata, Salt Lake and New Town, almost all municipal towns in 16 districts and a complete shutdown in Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur and West Burdwan from 5 PM on Monday until Friday, March 27 midnight, reported The Times of India.
After three more persons tested positive for Covid-19 in the State on Sunday, the total number of coronavirus positive cases have gone up to seven there. Till Sunday, 22,043 people were under home isolation in West Bengal with 630 people having completed their home quarantine period.
Invoking the West Bengal Epidemic Disease, Covid-19 Regulations, 2020 the government notified the ‘complete safety restrictions’ issued by the Governor that banned any congregation of more than 7 people in public places and restricted all transport services except transport carrying food and essential commodities and ordered shops, commercial establishments, godowns, offices, etc. to close operations.
Grocery, vegetable, fruit, meat, fish and other ration shops, including storage and transportation; as also ‘e-commerce of groceries and food items and home delivery of food’ would be exempted from following the restrictions.
All those returning from abroad were ordered to remain under strict home quarantine and any person violating the instructions issued would be punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience of an order, which includes fine or imprisonment or both), the order read.
Business Standard reported that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has also sought an immediate ban on the landing of international flights in the city and has also written to the Chairman of the Railways Board to ensure that no trains enter the state on Monday onwards.
CM Banerjee had earlier said, “Let us work together in tackling the pandemic.” She had also mentioned that the state was yet to get adequate number of testing kits for the coronavirus. She had announced several measures to ramp up isolation facilities and had ordered the increase of isolation beds at the Beliaghata Infectious Diseased Hospital from 22 to 100, apart from announcing the increase of isolation beds at other medical institutions.
TOI reported that the police had identified specific check points and had started conveying the order to auto, bus and taxi owners. An officer told the publication, “We will be manning the streets of Kolkata in enough numbers. In addition, we have also made arrangements at hospitals, especially Beliaghata ID Hospital, so patients have no problem while commuting. We request essential services vehicles to carry enough documents with them.”
The complete order by the West Bengal government may be read below.
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