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Containment zones back in Bengal as Covid-19 cases shoot up after Durga puja
With the daily count of Covid-19 cases shooting up in West Bengal once again after the festive season, the state administration has started re-introducing containment zones to check the spread of the virus and prevent a possible third wave
With the daily count of Covid-19 cases shooting up in West Bengal once again after the festive season, the state administration has started re-introducing containment zones to check the spread of the virus and prevent a possible third wave.
Containment zones have already come up in Howrah and North 24 Parganas, the districts with the highest number of daily cases after Kolkata. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is likely to decide on the matter on Monday.
Barely 10 days have gone since the Durga puja, the biggest festival in the state, ended in West Bengal and the daily count of Covid-19 cases is again hovering around the 1000-mark, after a gap of more than three months.
“While 974 new cases were detected in the state on Saturday, on Sunday, the number shot up further to 989. Such a high number of cases was last detected in July this year when the second wave was on the decline,” said a senior health department official.
The positivity rate has been steadily going up in the state as well. While the positivity rate on September 24 was 1.7% it shot up to 2.1% on October 10. On Sunday, it was 2.3%. Even though the puja started on October 11, the festivity and shopping started much before.
“Under such circumstances, the state government and district administrations have decided to bring in the containment zones. The night curfew, from 11 pm to 5 am, which was lifted during the puja, has been imposed again,” said a senior government official.
Already 56 containment zones have been declared in North 24 Parganas. In Howrah, 14 such zones have been introduced.
On Sunday, while Kolkata reported 273 new cases, the highest number of fresh Covid-19 cases among other districts in the state, North 24 Parganas registered 146 cases. Howrah registered 83 cases. South 24 Parganas, which shares its borders with Kolkata, recorded 74 cases while Hooghly reported 89 cases.
Health experts have been blaming the rise in Covid-19 cases on the huge gatherings during the Durga puja and rampant violations of safety norms.
“During the puja days there were huge gatherings outside pandals and people from Kolkata and outskirts hit the streets in thousands. Covid-19 protocols were rampantly violated,” said Dr Manas Gumta, general secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors in the state.
Experts earlier warned that at least two weeks following the Durga puja would be crucial to check the spread of the virus and prevent a possible third wave.
“Covid-19 safety protocols were rampantly flouted during the festive season. Many were not wearing masks, leaving aside social distancing and sanitizing. Two weeks following the puja would be very crucial,” said Sukumar Mukherjee, member of the expert committee that was set up in 2020 to advise chief minister Mamata Banerjee on pandemic-related matters.
