Mamata extends lockdown in Bengal till April 30 (Ld)
Kolkata, April 11 (IANS) The West Bengal government on Saturday extended the lockdown in the state till April 30 to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Making the announcement during a media meet at the state secretariat Nabanna, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the decision was taken after a video conference between CMs of different states and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The Prime Minister said the ongoing lockdown will be extended in the country till April 30. We all agreed. So I have decided to extend the lockdown till April 30,” she said.
The country has been under lockdown since March 24 midnight. The lockdown is scheduled to end on April 14, but by all likelihood, it would get extended.
Banerjee also said that schools and colleges in the state would remain closed till June 10.
“It’s no use opening schools and colleges for one or two days before the summer vacation. Let things normalize first. The schools and colleges will reopen after June 10,” she said.
Meanwhile, six more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state, taking the total number of active cases to 95, the Chief Minister said. The death count remains five.
However, she refused to give the total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state since the onset of the infection in West Bengal. The Central government has put the cumulative number of cases in the state at 116.
Banerjee said the Prime Minister said during the video conference that the next two weeks will be very crucial. “So everybody please stay at home. Maintain social distancing in the markets. The groceries will remain open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” she said.
Banerjee said the bakeries have been asked to begin production so as to ensure steady supply of bread and biscuits.
“But the lockdown protocol has to be adhered to. Social distancing should be maintained. If the protocol is violated, we will take action,” she said.
The state government has also decided to relax the lockdown norms for online food delivery aggregators.
“The lockdown has to be enforced in a human way,” she said.
–IANS
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