Bengal shuts schools, colleges, allows flights from Delhi, Mumbai on 2 days

Flights from Delhi and Mumbai can land in Kolkata only on Monday and Tuesday, according to the West Bengal government’s restrictions announced on Sunday to control the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19

KOLKATA: With the daily count of Covid-19 increasing by more ten times in just six days in West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee government 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%.

Kolkata: Police personnel make announcements to people to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines in view of rising cases of the 'Omicron' variant of the infection at New Market in Kolkata on Sunday. (ANI)

“All academic activities in schools, colleges and universities will remain closed. Government and private offices will continue with 50% of the work force at a time. Local trains will operate with 50% of the seating capacity and up to 7 pm,” West Bengal chief secretary HK Dwivedi told reporters at the state secretariat on Sunday.

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.

The fresh restrictions announced on Sunday were announced after West Bengal reported 4,512 new Covid-19 cases, which translates into an increase of the daily count of new Covid cases by 10 times in less than a week. On Monday last, the state reported just 439 new cases.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already announced that containment zones may be brought back in Kolkata to check the spread of the virus. Officials said at least 11 such zones may be declared in the city on Monday.

The state government imposed similar restrictions from May 3 2021 when Covid-19 cases shot up exponentially after the assembly elections. They were relaxed in phases.

To be sure, Saturday’s daily count of cases is higher than the peak of of the first wave, which hit the state in October 2020. The state then recorded 4,157 in a day. The daily count touched 20,846 in mid-May 2021 during the second wave.

According to the order introducing restrictions issued on Sunday, the Bengal government has reintroduced 10pm-5am night curfew. The government relaxed night curfew from December 24, 2021 to January 1, 2022 for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

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, echoing a point made in the national capital Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who stressed that most patients were asymptomatic or reported mild symptoms only

Kolkata’s mayor Firhad Hakim earlier said that about 80% of the Covid-19 cases reported in the city were asymptomatic, another 17% have mild symptoms and only 3% of the patients needed to be treated at hospitals.

Officials said that the restrictions will remain into force till January 15, after which they would be reviewed.