Kolkata: The Bengal government on Thursday extended the Covid-19 restrictions in the state till August 15. It also announced some relaxation in the existing norms, including organising government programmes indoors with 50 percent of the total seating capacity.
The new set of relaxations will become applicable from July 31. However, the restrictions on outdoor activities apart from essential and emergency services will continue from 9 pm to 5 am every day.
Issuing an order on Thursday, the state government has clearly stated that "all outdoor activities, including the movement of people and vehicles, shall be strictly prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am except for health service, law and order, essential commodities, including agricultural produce and other emergency services".
The state government is taking strict measures to impose restrictions on outdoor activities from 9 pm to 5 am to further bring down the rate of Covid cases in the state when 766 new cases and 14 deaths were reported due to Covid in the last 24 hours.
India, on the other hand, logged 43,509 new Coronavirus infections taking the total tally to 3,15,28,114, while the active cases registered an increase for the second consecutive day, according to the Union Health ministry data updated on Thursday.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,07,01,612, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent, the data stated. The death toll climbed to 4,22,662 with 640 fresh fatalities.
Meanwhile, district administration, police commissionerates and local authorities have also been instructed to ensure strict compliance with the directives in terms of imposing restrictions on outdoor activities from 9 pm to 5 am. Directions have also been given to take action as per the provisions of the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the Indian Penal Code.
Bengal Education and PWD ministers Bratya Basu and Moloy Ghatak and state INTTUC president Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay, who had reached Tripura on Wednesday, made futile attempts to pacify the cops.
"This is the old Gujarat model of putting pressure on the Opposition leaders. In Delhi, the Opposition MPs are not allowed to speak on important issues like phone tapping of Abhishek Banerjee before the 2021 Assembly election by using Pegasus spyware," O'Brien alleged.
Bratya Basu said, during his visit to Tripura, had come across many people who had been anxiously waiting for the Trinamool to come and save the state from the clutches of BJP. "Local people have seen Bam (Left), Ram (BJP) and if they want kam (work), they should vote for Trinamool Congress," he added.
"People are fed up with the BJP government and they want a change. BJP has failed to keep its promises made before the Assembly elections," Ghatak alleged.
Meanwhile, speculations are rife that Sudip Roy Barman, along with some BJP MLAs, is likely to join Trinamool Congress. Banerjee is likely to hold a meeting with Roy Barman on Friday. Though TMC leaders who went to Tripura from Kolkata did not comment on the issue, they said many local BJP leaders had been keeping in touch with senior party leaders.