West Bengal Extends COVID Restrictions till July 1

West Bengal government has extended statewide COVID-19 restrictions till July 1. An order was issued in this regard on Monday. At a press conference, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state has been able to vaccinate about 2 crore people, especially the groups that are super spreaders.

Health department data puts the number of active cases in West Bengal at 17,651 as of Sunday. The state's case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 1.16 percent, while the recovery rate is 97.64 percent.

According to the new rules issued by West Bengal government, the movement of individuals and outdoor activities remain prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am. No movement will be permitted during this time, with the exception of essential services.

The new COVID restrictions in West Bengal are as follows:

• All intra-state buses/waterways/trains services are to remain suspended in a bid to break the chain of transmission. Private vehicles and cabs, however, will be allowed in cases of emergency or if they are engaged in essential services.
• Banks in the state will be open to customers between 10 am and 2 pm.
• All government offices will function with 25 percent of sanctioned strength starting June 16.
• Private and corporate offices have also received the nod, provided they operate at 25 percent capacity. They can now open from 10 am to 4 pm. Employees of these offices will require E-passes.
• Public parks will open between 6 am and 9 am each day. Only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter the parks.
• Bazaars and markets will remain open between 7 am and 11 am. At the same time, other retail shops have been permitted to conduct business between 11 am and 6 pm.
• Outlets inside shopping malls have been granted permission to open between 11 am and 6 pm. These outlets have been asked to operate with less than 25 percent of the sanctioned workforce. No more than 30 percent of the staff will be allowed inside an outlet at any given time.
• Restaurants and bars will serve customers between 12 pm and 8 am, provided they operate at 50 percent seating capacity.
• Stadiums are now allowed to hold sporting events but without spectators.
• Closure of schools, colleges and other educational institutions will continue for now. The same will apply to gyms, beauty parlours and cinema halls.

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