Covid-19: West Bengal extends restrictions till Jan 31; fairs allowed, marriage functions at 50% capacity

In keeping with the ongoing pandemic, the West Bengal state government on Saturday announced the extension of Covid restrictions and curbs till January 31.

According to the notice floated by state Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, from 50 people to 200 people or 50 per cent of the venue's capacity will be allowed to attend the marriage ceremony.

The notice also mentioned that on open grounds, fairs can be held and the night curfew from 10 pm to 5 pm will continue till January 31.

The notice has directed police, local authorities and district administrations to make sure strict implementation of new directives. However, essential services are exempted under the new rules.

It can be noted that the earlier notice on the restrictions came to an end on January 15. According to Dr Kajal Krishna Banik, conducting fairs in the state should be strictly stopped till the curve is flattened.

“If fairs are allowed then there will be gathering in large numbers for which such fairs should be stopped. After the Gangasagar fair, it can be a super-spreader in the third wave of the pandemic,” claimed Banik.

Meanwhile, over 50,000 devotees on Saturday were seen taking a dip at the Gangasagar fair violating all the pandemic protocols.

Referring to the Gangasagar Mela, Dr Diptendra Sarkar mentioned that more restrictions should be levied at theatres, cinema halls and other public places so that the chain of the pandemic is broken.

However, till the time of reporting, the state had recorded over 19,000 new cases with an increasing positivity rate of 30 per cent.