Battling Corona: Bongaon Municipality stiffens lockdown

Kolkata: The Bongaon Municipality in North 24-Parganas has imposed stringent lockdown measures in parts of six wards from where three COVID positive cases were reported recently.

There are containment zones in six pockets of wards 1, 2, 4, 10, 13, and 19 and the civic body has taken all possible measures for strict enforcement of lockdown. The persons who might have come in close contact with these three persons have also been quarantined.

"We have made arrangements to transport essential commodities and other emergency services at the doorstep of the people under the containment zone.

Medicine retailers have been roped in for delivery of medicines at doorstep," said Bongaon Municipality chairman Sankar Addhya.

The police administration has barricaded the containment zones and is maintaining a strict vigil to ensure that there is no gathering. The containment areas are adjacent to three arterial roads – Jessore road, Bagda Road and Chakdah-Bongaon expressway.

Sources said that no

shops and business establishments, except emergency services, are being allowed to open and even they would require approval.

The district administration has stumbled upon a heavy surge in market places flouting the norms of social distancing. The municipality has opened a 24-hour control room with a dedicated helpline to provide support to residents of these zones.

According to sources, movement of trucks across the border at Petrapole checkpost in Bongaon has been stopped for the past one week after local villagers voiced apprehension of Coronavirus spreading from Bangladeshi labourers to Indian truck drivers and their helpers.

The Bangladeshi side of the border – Benapole and Jessore – has reported many COVID-positive cases and there have been some deaths.

So locals fear that the virus may spread if the border is opened up.