West Bengal: Schools, colleges, salons to remain shut from tomorrow as Omicron cases surge
PremiumOnly essential services will be permitted from 10 am to 5 pm in the state
All schools, colleges, universities, salons, beauty parlours, gyms, zoos and entertainment parks will remain closed in West Bengal from Monday, said state chief secretary HK Dwivedi on Sunday.
Further, all government and private offices will operate at 50% capacity and all administrative meetings will be conducted in virtual mode. Meetings and conferences have been allowed with a maximum of 200 people at a time or 50 per cent capacity of the hall, whichever is lower.
Only essential services will be permitted from 10 am to 5 pm.
Local trains will operate with 50% capacity till 7 pm, while all shopping malls and markets would be allowed to remain open till 10 pm but with half their capacities.
Long-distance trains will operate as per their usual schedule. Metro trains in Kolkata will also operate as per their usual timing but with 50% capacity.
Bars and restaurants were allowed to remain open with 50 per cent capacity till 10 pm, while home delivery of food and other essential products was permitted as per usual operational hours.
Not more than 50 persons shall be allowed in weddings, and only 20 persons will be allowed during funeral and burial services, the chief secretary said.
The state government asked the management of industries, factories, mills, tea gardens and other commercial establishments to ensure strict compliance with the guidelines.
Flights from Mumbai and New Delhi will ply only twice a week, and no flights from the UK will be allowed for the time being, Dwivedi said.
This comes as two more people tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in West Bengal on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 16.
One of the new patients came from Odisha while a local person tested positive for Omicron at the India-Bangladesh international border in Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district, said an official.
"The person who came from Odisha, and the one who tested positive at Petrapole are undergoing treatment in Kolkata. The total number of cases has increased to 16," the official said.
Meanwhile, five other travellers who recently arrived in West Bengal from other countries tested positive for the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
West Bengal on Saturday reported 4,512 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,061 more than the previous day, with Kolkata accounting for 2,398 new cases, as per the state health department.
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