Risk zones in Bengal locked till June 30 -Mamata also said that migrant workers who had wished to come back to the state will be back by 10th of this month

Pranesh Sarkar, TT, 9.06.20, Calcutta: The state cabinet on Monday decided to extend the lockdown in Bengal’s containment zones till June 30 on the lines of the Centre’s recent notification.

“The lockdown (in containment zones) will continue till June 30,” said Mamata Banerjee on Monday after the cabinet meeting at Nabanna.

Earlier, the state government had decided to extend the lockdown in containment zones till June 15.

But the Centre, ahead of Unlock 1.0, said while containment zones would be defined by state governments, lockdown in the zones will last till June 30.

Mamata on Monday also said that all the migrant workers who had wished to come back to Bengal would be back by June 10 as all 235 trains specifically scheduled to bring them back would reach by then.

“Eleven lakh people (in all) will be back by June 10. Already, nine to 9.5 lakh people are back,” she said.

A government official said that the large number of returnees meant a rise in Covid infections in Bengal.

Also, the state government had to arrange Covid-19 swab sample tests and quarantine centres in bulk for the returnees, which posed a challenge in terms of volume and logistics, but they were doing their best.