COVID-19: Total shutdown in parts of West Bengal’s Malda for a week

Private vehicles will not be allowed on the roads, they said, adding that state-run buses after leaving the Gour Kanya terminal will stop only at a single point in any of these two towns. (File photo: IE)

Total shutdown would be imposed in English Bazar and Old Malda towns for a week, starting Wednesday in the wake of the rising cases of COVID-19, officials said.

All shops will remain shut during this period, except those selling essential items, they said. Pharmacies have also been excluded from the purview of the shutdown, officials said.

Private vehicles will not be allowed on the roads, they said, adding that state-run buses after leaving the Gour Kanya terminal will stop only at a single point in any of these two towns.

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Cycle-rickshaws and e-rickshaws will also be not allowed, officials said.

However, some rickshaws would be made available at three designated locations for emergency purposes.

The vegetable market in English Bazar, the district headquarters, will remain open till 11 am.

Malda, the home to lakhs of migrant workers from West Bengal, has so far reported 859 cases. Of them, 331 are currently undergoing treatment while 524 people have been discharged after recovery.

Four deaths have been reported from the district, which is on the India-Bangladesh border.