'Armed police to ensure strong lockdown norms'

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed "strong lockdown" by deploying armed police to contain COVID-19 at identified "red zones" in Howrah, north and central Kolkata from where 90 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in the state have been reported.

"Personnel of armed police should be posted at every market in the red zones, especially in Howrah. This has to be handled strongly or else it would take a worse turn. Police will extend help in case residents of these areas face any problem. They will also provide food to them if necessary," Banerjee said.

Stating that Kolkata, Howrah and North 24-Parganas are the most sensitive districts, she directed the concerned authorities during the video conference from Nabanna Sabhaghar on Friday to work with utmost seriousness to fight against the virus. Respective officials will be held responsible if the situation worsens, she added.

Banerjee said: "The situation in Howrah in terms of COVID-19 positive cases is not good. A strong lockdown has to be imposed. Necessary steps as directed by Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha need to be taken for the urban areas of the district, including Shibpur, Mandirbazar, Bankrahat, Sankrail, Dhulagarh, Malipanchghara and a part of Belur. Help people to get the supply of essentials at their doorsteps with the support of the police to ensure that they remain indoors."

Urging cops to take stringent measures, Banerjee said all markets in these areas should be closed by noon and no one will be allowed to enter them without a mask. Arrangements of hand sanitisation at the entry points of the market places will also be in place.

In the presence of Banerjee, Sinha stated that 22 people tested positive in the past 24 hours taking the total number of the same to 162 and four COVID-19 patients were released on Friday after they tested negative.

While speaking on the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Bengal, the Chief Minister mentioned that 90 per cent of the total cases are from Howrah and some wards in north and central Kolkata. These areas have been identified as "red zones". She gave a strong message to concerned officials to ensure that the areas must turn to "orange zones" in the next seven days and to "green" within 14 days. In the same breath, she said not a single COVID-19 case has been reported from 10 districts, including Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Malda, Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, East Burdwan and Jhargram. "But authorities of these 10 districts should not start relaxing. Instead, they must keep on continuing their work so that the situation prevails," Banerjee directed, adding that North 24-Parganas is another district where stringent measures need to be taken. She gave directions to seal all bordering areas properly so that no one can sneak into the state. She also directed Hooghly district authorities to ensure proper steps to check the spread of the disease by identifying the containment zones.

East Midnapore, which was in the red zone, has successfully entered the orange zone as potential COVID-19 patients were quarantined on time. The Chief Minister upheld the East Midnapore district and asked all to follow its example.

After taking a dig at Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for proposing deployment of para-military forces in the state, Banerjee said without naming BJP that a political party is spreading fake information in Bengal. The Chief Minister directed the district administration to ensure proper distribution of foodgrains from the fair price shops. She also visited some such shops in Bhowanipore on Friday. She announced "Sneherparash" scheme to provide financial assistance of Rs 1000 each to the migrant labourers and their families stranded in other states. She also incorporated journalists under the health insurance scheme started for the COVID-19 frontline workers.