KOLKATA: Several Tollywood celebrities, including Parambrata Chatterjee, Mimi Chakraborty, Reshmi Sen and Rudranil Ghosh tested positive for Covid on Wednesday at a time when the daily Covid infections went up to 14,022. After a gap of seven months, the state registered such a figure for daily infections. In May last year, Bengal had seen over 14,000 cases in a single day for the last time.
In another significant development, the Bengal government on Wednesday announced postponement of the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF). KIFF organising committee chairman Raj Chakraborty tested positive for Covid on Tuesday while another member Parambrata Chatterjee was also found infected. Chatterjee has been undergoing treatment in home isolation.
Parambrata was present at the inaugural ceremony of the KIFF on Tuesday evening. Actress Sayantika Banerjee and many other KIFF officials, who came in contact with Parambrata, have been urged to remain in home isolation. Actress-turned-politician and MP Mimi Chakraborty also tested positive for Covid on Wednesday and is in home isolation. Actor Dev and actress Rukmini Maitra have also tested positive.
Director of Health Services Dr Ajay Chakraborty has also tested positive for Covid.
The total number of infected cases in Bengal has so far gone up to 16,78,323. On Wednesday, out of which, 16,25,454 patients have been released from hospitals after recovery. The number of Covid fatalities, however, jumped to 17 on Wednesday from 16 on Tuesday.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's daughter Sana's Covid sample report came positive. Three other family members had tested positive on Tuesday. Incidentally, 52 more Kolkata Police personnel tested Covid positive on Wednesday. Till date, 166 Kolkata Police personnel had been tested Covid positive.
The State Election Commission on Wednesday directed the District Election Officers (DEO) of the concerned areas where civic polls are scheduled, to ensure that campaigns are conducted in adherence to the Covid protocol. DEOs have been asked to take action against the violations under the Disaster Management Act 2005 (West Bengal Epidemic Disease, COVID 19 regulations 2020).
Meanwhile, containment zones under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) nearly doubled on Wednesday with 47 such zones up from 25 on Monday, when the first time such zones were notified by the KMC.
Bengal has administered around 4,87,115 Covid doses among the general population while around 1,70,112 doses have been administered among the youths in the age group of 15-18 on the third day of their immunisation drive on Wednesday. With the rise in the daily Covid cases, North 24-Parganas district administrations have demarcated around 11 government hospitals to handle any unforeseen situation.