Amid a rise in Covid-19 cases along with those of the Omicron variant, West Bengal on Sunday reintroduced certain restrictions including the closing of schools and colleges.
A night curfew with timings 10 pm to 5 am has been imposed along with capping of attendance at workplaces, both private and government, to 50 percent. Essential services have been exempted from the curfew timings.
Apart from educational institutions, swimming pools, gyms, spas, salons, and wellness centres will be shut down starting tomorrow.
Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said, "Government and private offices can work at 50 percent capacity, with all administrative meetings to be conducted virtually".
Meanwhile, Kolkata Metro services have also been capped at 50 percent capacity and local trains will run only till 7 pm. This will not affect long-distance trains which will be running as per schedule.
Cinema halls, restaurants, and bars can function at 50 percent capacity and up to 10 pm. Shopping malls can stay open from 10 am to 5 pm, but crowds must be at 50 percent, the order read.
Attendance at gatherings for marriages and other social, religious, and cultural occasions will also be limited to 50 persons, while those for funerals or burials will be limited to 20.
Notably, West Bengal reported 4,512 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, taking its active caseload to 13,300 – the third-highest in the country after Maharashtra and Kerala. Bengal has also reported 20 cases of the rapidly spreading Omicron strain.