West Bengal: schools,colleges closed, curbs on flights

The West Bengal governmmet has announced a partial lockdown from Monday, shutting schools and colleges, imposing curbs on flights from Delhi and Mumbai, restricting timing of local trains and capping capping attendance at private and government offices at 50%. A 10 pm - 5 am night curfew has been ordered,. Only essential and emergency services can operate in this time. "Government and private offices can work at 50 per cent capacity, with all administrative meetings to be conducted virtually," Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said on Sunday. Kolkata Metro services and local trains will also be capped at 50 per cent capacity, and the latter can run only till 7 pm. Long-distance trains, however, will be allowed to run normally.

While swimming pools, spas, gyms, salons and beauty parlours, entertainment parks and tourist places have been ordered to close down, the government has allowed shopping malls, markets restaurants and bars to remain open for now on the condition that they operate with 50% capacity till 10pm. Social, cultural, academic, entertainment related gatherings, such as weddings have been allowed with not more than 50 people. "Even though cases have shot up, there is no need to panic. We have reviewed the health infrastructure including hospital beds and oxygen support. There is no shortage,” the Bengal chief secretary said,

Officials said that the restrictions will remain into force till January 15, after which they would be reviewed.Flights from Delhi and Mumbai will be allowed to land in Kolkata only on Mondays and Fridays. The government last week announced suspension of direct flights from the United Kingdom landing at Kolkata airport from Monday and mandated Covid tests for all passengers arriving on international flights. Data shared by the Union Health Ministry showed thickly populated cities like Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai were experiencing the sharpest increase in daily new cases.