The West Bengal government had announced last week that the state will go under full lockdown twice a week, after admitting that there was community transmission of Covid-19 in some parts of the state.
It has observed the lockdown on three days so far and Mamata Banerjee said that the this bi-weekly lockdown will continue till August 31.
In such a situation, the state announced that the West Bengal will go under complete lockdown.
Announcing the decision home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said, “COVID-19 is spreading fast, and there are areas where community transmission has been detected. After talking to experts, scientists, doctors, enforcement authorities, and the police, we decided to impose complete lockdown for two days every week in the entire state to break the chain.”
This decision was taken by a committee chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Here’s what you need to know:
— Mamata Banerjee announced that there will be no lockdown on August 1 because of Bakri Eid.
— The lockdown dates in August according to Anandabazar Patrika are August 2, 5, 6, 9, 16, 17, 22, 23, 29 and 30.
What will and won’t be open?
The Telegraph reported that the government will adopt the rules of the earlier nationwide lockdown where everything will be shut except for essential services.
While containment zones are following this rule already, one complete lockdown days the rules would apply to all areas.
— Both private and government offices will be shut.
— No public transport facilities will be available.
— All malls and market complexes will be shut.
— Only grocery and medicine shops will be open.
Unhappy opposition
Even as the government announced these measures, the Opposition parties in the state criticised the Mamata Banerjee government saying it had failed to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in the state.
BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha was quoted by PTI as saying, “We very well know that lockdown was not implemented in West Bengal during the initial months. In minority-dominated areas, no restriction was in place. This community transmission came due to the failure of the state government to implement lockdown.”
Meanwhile Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said the situation would have been much better had the lockdown been implemented strictly.
“When lockdown was implemented across the country, West Bengal was the only state which did not implement it properly. It was busy hiding figures,” PTI quoted Chowdhury as saying.
CPI(M) legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty said the chief minister should come out with a reply on the reasons that led to community transmission.
(With PTI inputs)