West Bengal: complete lockdown imposes till May 30

The West Bengal state government on Saturday announced that a complete lockdown would be implemented in the state between May 16 and May 30. However, emergency services have been exempted and essential services have been allowed with some restrictions. The new restriction would come into effect from 6am on May 16 and would remain in place till May 30. It also directed the state officials to ensure that the restrictions are strictly followed saying, “District administration, police commissionerates and local authorities shall ensure strict compliance of the above mentioned directives. Any violation of the aforesaid restriction measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and under Indian Penal Code.”

The new restrictions have been announced a day after the state reported its highest single-day spike of 20,846 new Covid-19 cases and 136 fatalities on Friday. With this, the cases tally in Bengal reached 1,094,802 while the death toll climbed to 12,993. The government has also capped the maximum number of people allowed at social events. "All administrative, academic, entertainment, political, cultural and religious gatherings, groupings and congregations shall be prohibited," the order said. From May 16, all intra-state travel such as trains, metros, bus services and inland water transport have been prohibited except for movement of essential personnel. Also, private vehicles are also allowed only for some emergencies. Meanwhile trucks and goods carriers are allowed for transporting medical supplies, oxygen, essential food commodities, petrol, diesel and LPG. While 50 per cent strength is allowed in all shifts in tea gardens, jute mills are allowed to operate with 30 per cent strength, the order said. All e-commerce activities and home delivery of all commodities have also been allowed.

Meanwhile, Ashim Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s younger brother, died on Saturday morning after being detected with Covid-19, last month. “He   had certain comorbidities such as hypertension,” the doctor said.