No flight operations in Kol during lockdown days

Kolkata: Flight operations at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport will remain suspended on seven days when the state would observe stringent lockdown in the month of August to contain the spread of COVID-19, airport officials said on Thursday.

On the other hand, the ban on passenger flights to Kolkata from six cities — all COVID-19 hotspots — has been extended till August 15, amid a spurt in Coronavirus cases in the state, airport sources here said on Thursday.

The suspension will happen on August 5, 8, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 31, 2020, as per the lockdown announced by the Bengal government. The passengers are requested to contact concerned airlines for changes in the flight schedule.

"Flight operations at #KolkataAirport will remain suspended on following lockdown days as announced by West Bengal government: August 5, 8, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 31. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for changes in flight schedule," the Kolkata airport tweeted on Thursday.

According to an airport official, around 100 inbound and outbound flights will remain cancelled on each day of the lockdown.

In another tweet, the airport wrote: "The restriction on arriving flights to #KolkataAirport from 6 cities viz Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur & Ahmedabad has been extended up to 15th August 2020."

West Bengal reported 46 COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, the highest number of single-day deaths so far, pushing the toll to 1,536, the Health department said.

The state's caseload shot up to 67,692 with a record 2,434 fresh cases, it said in a bulletin. The number of active cases stood at 19,900.

Since Wednesday, 2,140 patients recovered from the disease, improving the discharge rate to 68.33 per cent, the bulletin said.

All public transport, government and private offices, banks and other commercial establishments, barring those dealing with essential services, have been directed to remain closed during the lockdown.

Medicine shops and health establishments will remain open. Petrol pumps too will be functional. Schools, colleges and other educational institutes will also remain closed.

Besides, the seven-day lockdown spaced out through August, the state government has announced that all restrictions would be strictly enforced in the containment zones until August 31.