West Bengal to extend lockdown till 31 July

The lockdown has been extended from 30 June to 31 July by Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. At the end of today's 3-hour party meeting, Banerjee announced: "The COVID-19 problem is spreading. Let us try and extend the lockdown with restrictions till July 31."

In West Bengal today, 445 new coronavirus cases were reported, which took the total to 15,173 in West Bengal. There are a total of 4,890 active cases. In addition, 11 deaths were recorded taking the total to 591.

The improvement of services for non-coronavirus patients is another important decision made at this meeting.

The political parties agreed that the treatment of non-COVID-19 patients in hospitals is very difficult. It is necessary to address this issue and take account of private hospitals, Banerjee said.

She also insisted on putting a cap on medical treatment, "Maharashtra and Delhi have done it. We should too."  

Mamta added, "This is not a time to do business. There is a pandemic and hospitals must work in the spirit of service."