Mamata extends lockdown till April 30
Kolkata: The state government on Saturday extended the lockdown in Bengal till April 30 to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.
Making the announcement during a media meet at the state Secretariat Nabanna, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the decision was taken after a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The Prime Minister said the ongoing lockdown will be extended in the country till April 30. We all agreed. So I have decided to extend the lockdown till April 30," she said.
Banerjee added: "I have also mentioned in the meeting that the life and livelihood of people should not get affected at any cost. This lockdown should be imposed with a humane approach."
Urging the Centre to give more importance on strengthening the federal structure of the country, the Chief Minister directed the state Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha to introduce a mechanism so that people without ration cards also get foodgrains from fair price shops. This comes when the Bengal government is already distributing free of cost rice and wheat among 7.85 crore people. Rice and potato will also be distributed among ICDS and midday meal beneficiaries till June, Banerjee said after announcing that schools and colleges will remain shut till June 15 to check the spread of the virus. She also announced the introduction of 'Annyodatri App' through which rice cultivators can express their willingness to sell their produce to the state government.
Banerjee requested people to properly follow lockdown norms stating that the Prime Minister has mentioned in the meeting that the next two weeks are going to be very crucial. In the same breath, she added that she has also spoken about cooperation between leaders and workers of the party at the Centre and the state government instead of doing politics by creating false propaganda. "I urged all to work together as it is not the time to do politics. We are fighting against a disease and not against any communal virus," Banerjee said.
Replying to the question that whether the number of tests is less in Bengal, the Chief Minister clarified that as per the ICMR's previous guidelines the state was only supposed to test only those who are showing symptoms. "Accordingly, we have so far undertaken 2,286 tests. Now, the ICMR has asked to carry out more tests and we will follow the same. Moreover, there were only 40 kits available. We have now asked for 50,000 kits and rapid tests will be undertaken as soon as they reach in the next two to three days," Banerjee said.
Reacting to reports that death toll might be more than what was being announced, the Chief Minister said that she has raised this issue during the video conference clarifying that people have died due to co-morbidity and that should not be connected to deaths due to COVID-19. An expert committee has been set up to audit whether the death of a person is due to the disease or not.
Banerjee further stated that sanitisation of identified sensitive spots are being carried out but no grocery shops or markets will remain closed in these areas.
She also announced relaxation in the functioning of flour and oil mills, bakeries, packaged drinking water plants and fisheries following all precautionary norms. Grocery shops and markets will be allowed to remain open from 10 am to 6 pm every day. Small-scale industries can also function with a handful of manpower. Legal action will be taken if norms are violated. Following requests of the Centre, the state government is also allowing 25 per cent of the total manpower to work in the tea gardens.
Six more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Bengal, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 95, the Chief Minister said on Saturday. No deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.
