Bengal extends biweekly Covid-lockdown till September 20: All you need to know

The Mamata Banerjee government has also partially eased its July 6 ban on flights to Kolkata from six metros, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

In the wake of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, the West Bengal government has extended the ongoing curbs in the state to September 20, with ‘hard lockdowns’ scheduled for September 7, 11 and 12.

West Bengal has reported over 1.44 lakh Covid-19 cases so far (PTI)

The Mamata Banerjee government has also partially eased its July 6 ban on flights to Kolkata from six metros, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

In view of the spike in coronavirus cases in the country, the state government had imposed a total ban till August 31 on passenger flights to Kolkata from six worst-hit states - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad.

In a letter to Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the West Bengal government has asked it to ensure that no flight is coming or going out of any airport of the state on September 7, 11 and 12 as it will observe complete lockdown on those days.

“Also, restriction on flights coming in from six cities, viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad, is being partially lifted from 1st September onwards. Flights from these cities can come to the state thrice a week,” the letter stated.

Here’s what you need to know if you are planning to travel to West Bengal:

•Flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chennai and Pune can land in Kolkata for three days a week from September 1. However, no flights will be operational to and from Kolkata on September 7, 11, and 12 when the state will observe a total lockdown.

•Metro services can resume by observing social distancing and other precautionary norms from September.

•Schools and colleges in the state would remain closed till September 20.

•Railways can run local trains in the state - one fourth at a time.