What’s closed, what’s open in Bengal: here’s a list of steps the Mamata Banerjee govt has taken for COVID-19

The West Bengal government has taken several steps to tackle the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in the state. The number of COVID-19 cases in the country is 271 at present, including three in West Bengal.

*The state government has announced the closure of the following from 6 am of Sunday March 22, till March 31:

Restaurants

Pubs

Bars

Clubs

Night Clubs

Hookah Bars

Massage parlours

Amusement parks

Museums

Zoos

Strict legal action will be taken in case of violation, said the government order.

*All gatherings, including all social gatherings should be avoided completely. Even those held should have bare minimum and ensure proper social distancing.

*Lake Mall in south Kolkata has announced that it will remain closed for some days.

*Higher Secondary examinations will not be held on the scheduled dates, till March 31. New dates will be announced soon.

*Inter-state bus service from the state have been suspended for now.

*All long-distance trains have been cancelled from Sunday.

*An all-party meeting has been called at state administrative headquarters Nabanna on Monday to discuss measures.

*People have been asked to avoid visiting the outdoor departments of state-run hospitals except “urgent needs”. It has also deferred all operations till March 31, unless urgent.

*The number of coaches plying in Kolkata Metro has been cut down to 54 from 124 for Sunday. Trains in East-West Metro will run at a gap of 30 minutes on Sunday. The East-West Metro will run 34 coaches instead of the usual 50 on the day.

*Schools and other educational institutions are already closed till April 15.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked chief secretary Rajiva Sinha to talk to the Centre for stopping all long-distance trains to Bengal for the next 10 days. The step is essential as Banerjee said that the Railways authorities are not screening passengers in respective stations before boarding them on train. However, nothing has been finalised on this yet.

The Bengal government has already taken several other steps over the past few days. Over 7 crore poor will get free rice till September, and children will get mid-day meals delivered to their homes. Half of government employees will attend office while the remaining will stay home for a week, and this would be reversed by rotation. Many will work from home as well. The government also introduced a state emergency relief fund to tackle the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. The government has also appealed to private companies to implement similar measures by reducing work hours and work from home facilities as much as possible.