PM spoke about extending lockdown till April 30, says Mamata Banerjee; schools, colleges in Bengal to remain closed till June 10

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken about extending the ongoing country-wide lockdown till April 30 to contain the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). She was speaking to the media at the state administrative headquarters Nabanna.

She said that the PM had said that the next two weeks would be very crucial. “We have to be very careful and stay indoors,” she said. She said that while she would support the Centre and work together to fight COVID-19, she had told the Prime Minister that the vigilance must have a human face.

Schools and other educational institutions in West Bengal will remain closed till June 10, Banerjee announced.

She added that she had requested the PM to create a national economic cum health package of Rs.10 lakh crore for helping the states in fighting COVID-19. The state has also requested release of the funds due to it from the Centre.

The CM requested PM Modi to ensure that a humane approach is taken while extending the lockdown and to see that the livelihood of people, especially the poor, is not affected. Banerjee requested the PM to create special packages for the workers of unorganised sectors, micro, medium and small enterprises (MSME) and farmers. She also requested to take special care of migrant workers stranded in other states due to the lockdown.

Bakeries are being allowed to remain open but they will have to strictly maintain the norms of social distancing. All online deliveries of essential commodities will be allowed and the shops for selling essential commodities will remain open from 10 am to 6 pm to avoid overcrowding, Banerjee added.

She said that the number of active COVID-19 cases in the state is 95 at present, with 70 of them belonging to 16 families. Six persons have tested positive in West Bengal in the last 24 hours.