West Bengal: entry and exit to containment zones will be controlled (File)
Kolkata:
In the midst of a spike in coronavirus cases, Bengal declared a strict lockdown starting Thursday evening in containment areas or parts of the state with the highest number of infections. Large parts of Kolkata, among the countries most affected by the virus, will close their doors.
All offices will be closed and transportation prohibited in containment areas across the state from 5 p.m. Thursday.
Non-essential activities will not be allowed. Shopping centers and industries will close.
Entry and exit to containment zones will be monitored to verify the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Kolkata would have 18 containment zones and 1,872 isolation units. On Monday, of some 861 cases reported by the state, Kolkata recorded 281.
Bengal, which ranks eighth among the 10 most affected states, has nearly 23,000 cases of COVID-19 and 779 deaths.
The state government previously announced the complete closure of parts of the state’s Malda district.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also said flights to the state from critical cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad would be suspended until July 19.
The coronavirus count in India crossed the seven lakh mark on Monday. 22,252 new cases and 467 deaths in the past 24 years brought the total number of cases in the country to 719,665 and the number of deaths to 20,160. India is the third most affected country after overtaking Russia.
