Covid-19 Cases Spike: West Bengal likely to impose the restrictions

Kolkata, Jan 2: The West Bengal government is planning to impose a series of restrictions as the Covid-19 positivity rate rose to 12.02% on Saturday.

“The state government is planning to impose a series of restrictions from next week. Covid-19 cases are increasing. The chief minister will take the final call,” said a senior official of the state government.

At least two government programmes, including Duare Sarkar– a flagship project of the Mamata Banerjee government – have been cancelled. The Calcutta high court has decided to conduct proceedings through virtual mode from Monday.

West Bengal on Saturday reported 4,512 fresh Covid-19 cases, with Kolkata accounting for 2,398 fresh infections, a health bulletin said.

The state’s positivity rate rose to 12.02% from 8.46% on the previous day, when the eastern state had registered 3,451 cases, 1,061 fewer than Saturday.

Nine more patients succumbed to the infection on Saturday, two more than a day ago, taking the state’s toll to 19,773. Of the nine fresh fatalities, two each were reported in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas, the bulletin said.

Data available with the Union health ministry revealed that the Kolkata’s weekly (December 24 – 31) positivity rate was 23.4%, which doctors said was a cause of concern.

“While on one hand containment zones are likely to be brought back in the city from Monday, the night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am, which was relaxed for Christmas and New Year, could also be re-imposed,” said the state government official.

The state has thus far tested over 21,429,414 samples for Covid-19, the bulletin added.

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