West Bengal extends COVID-19 lockdown till 31 July: Here’s what will remain closed and stay open in state
With the cases of COVID-19 in West Bengal crossing the 15,000-mark, the West Bengal government on Wednesday extended the lockdown in the state till 31 July; here's what will remains closed and what stays open
With the cases of COVID-19 in West Bengal crossing the 15,000-mark, the West Bengal government on Wednesday extended the lockdown in the state till 31 July.
The lockdown in the state has been extended to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
Representational image. AP
The nationwide COVID-19 lockdown 5.0 is scheduled to end on 30 June.
Related Articles
According to a report by TOI, the announcement of extension of lockdown was made after an all-party meeting convened by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat Nabanna to deliberate on the spread of the virus.
A report by The Indian Express mentions that announcing the decision, Banerjee said, "Many parties expressed different opinions on tackling the coronavirus pandemic... But we decided to extend the lockdown... We are saying that since the COVID-19 cases are increasing in the entire country, it is our responsibility to help improve the situation...."
The state government has informed that the existing relaxations will continue outside the containment zones.
What will remain closed
- Complete lockdown measures will be in place in containment zones in the state
- Metro and suburban train services will remain suspended
- Schools, colleges and all the other education institutes will remain closed
What will remain open
- Shopping malls, restaurants will continue to operate following the Unlock 1.0 guidelines by the Union Home Ministry
- Places of worship will remain open. People have been asked to adhere to the social distancing guidelines
- Government offices are allowed to function in a "segregated manner" with 70 percent attendance
- Private offices have been permitted to function with limited staff in attendance.
According to a report by NDTV, West Bengal has registered 445 new cases and 11 deaths due to coronavirus on Wednesday. The total number of cases in the state is 15,173, of which 4,890 are active cases.
The novel coronavirus has so far claimed 591 lives in West Bengal.
also read
China under new COVID cloud, cases to peak at 65 million per week by June end
The latest wave is fueled by the newest XBB Omicron variant that has led to spike in cases starting late April. Reports say COVID-19 cases will reach nearly 40 million per week in May before peaking at 65 million a week by the end of May
End of Work from Home? Are TCS employees being forced to come to office?
TCS has begun delivering notes to staff members who don't put in at least 12 days of in-office work each month. The IT company reportedly threatened employees with disciplinary action if they failed to abide by its new policy. The firm is just one of the many that has put an end to work from home
Explained: How the World Health Organisation aims to fight pandemics in the future
Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics are underway at the World Health Organisation. A new pact is a priority for WHO chief who called it a ‘generational commitment that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect’ at the UN agency's annual assembly