Kolkata: Owing to the rising cases of coronavirus by leaps and bounds and with more deaths each day, the West Bengal government on Friday has decided to impose partial lockdown in the state.
Notably, restaurants, cinema halls, shopping malls, bars, swimming pools, gyms, spas, salons and beauty parlors will be closed until further notice.
According to the circular floated by the West Bengal government, the medical stores and emergency services will remain open throughout the day but the local markets will be open from 7 am to 10 am and then 3 pm to 5 pm.
While police were seen announcing the same but the shopkeepers and local buyers across Kolkata didn’t welcome the move as for them the state government should have given adequate time for the general public to buy stuff.
“Though the restaurants, bars, shopping malls will remain closed the online services and home delivery services will remain open. No social gatherings and mass gathering will be allowed,” said the letter from the West Bengal government.
According to a source in West Bengal secretariat, it is decided that by maintaining all COVID 19 protocols and by following the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, the political party will take out a victory rally on May 2 post the election results are announced.
Incidentally, the Election Commission of India had asked all the political parties not to take out victory rallies in keeping with the rising number of covid cases.
Meanwhile, soon after the announcement was made the West Bengal Education Department had cancelled Class 11 exams that were scheduled on June 15 and Class 12 examinations will be held at the home centers.
Several deaths were also reported on Friday due to shortage of beds in the hospitals.
An elderly woman was thrown away by her daughter in Mandarmani area fearing that she was Covid positive.
People at Behala area near Kolkata were seen agitating in front of police as according to them several unidentified bodies were burnt illegally at a crematorium near Behala.
With 96 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of new cases of covid positive in West Bengal stood at 17,411.
